Smokers' drag: State ban signed into law

Starting Jan. 1, smokers won't be able to light up inside restaurants, bars, offices, shopping malls and other indoor public places in Illinois.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a statewide smoking ban into law Monday. Illinois joins 21 other states in prohibiting public puffing.

"This law will save lives," Blagojevich said while signing the measure at Northwestern University's downtown campus. "The realities are that smoking kills people."

When it goes into effect, the state law will pre-empt the 46 anti-smoking ordinances passed in the suburbs, Chicago and downstate. Smokers will have to go outside at least 15 feet from entrances, a provision already in effect in Arlington Heights. If they violate the law and are caught, they face fines between $100 and $250. Bars, restaurants and offices that violate the law by allowing smokers face similar fines, but the third violation in a year will carry a $2,500 fine.

It still will be legal to smoke in your home, car, outdoors, at cigarette shops and in certain hotel rooms.

The measure was sponsored by state Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat, who stood by Blagojevich's side and held up his 1-year-old grandson Andrew, citing him as the reason he pushed the legislation.

"Illinois has passed the most restrictive law of any state in the United States and I am very proud of that," said Link, who fought back emotion during his remarks. "We were told by political spin doctors that we shouldn't do this because politically this was probably not the smartest thing to do...You only go around once and you've got to do the right thing. This was the right thing for life and this was the right thing for people."

Also attending the ceremony was co-sponsoring Republican state Sen. Dan Cronin of Elmhurst. "This is about responsibility," Cronin told the Daily Herald. "The moment the second-hand smoke evidence was in, the debate was over."

Dr. Eric Whitaker, the state's public health director, called it "a great day in public health." Anti-smoking advocates argue it will help reduce cases of cancer from second-hand smoke, asthma attacks and heart attacks.

Three women diagnosed with cancer from second-hand smoke told their stories. One was Mary Rondoni, a Chicago bartender and waitress who is recovering from serious throat cancer after inhaling second-hand smoke for 20 years at her job.

The legislation's approval was a bit of a surprise this year in the General Assembly. Advocates credited Blagojevich's early support -- he said in the spring he'd sign the smoking ban if it reached his desk -- with helping the ban gain momentum.

Link said he cobbled together a coalition of 34 mostly city and suburban senators to get it out of the Senate, where Senate President Emil Jones, a heavy smoker, allowed the measure to get a hearing. Many downstate lawmakers opposed. Some bar owners in northern Lake County argued their business will be hurt by patrons who decide to drink and smoke in Wisconsin instead.

Opponents tried to get riverboat casinos exempted, but lawmakers were able to beat the plan back, fearing that carving out one exception would lead to too many others.