City, Ameristar Could Be Exempt From Smoking Ban if State Bill Passes

A new bill making its way through the Missouri legislature could allow St. Charles to exclude the city and Ameristar Casino from any future county-wide smoking ban if the city set up its own health department, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting. 

According to that report, the bill, which recently won State House of Representatives committee approval and was requested by St. Charles Mayor Sally Faith, would add St. Charles to a list of cities that state law exempts from county health regulations if they organize their own municipal health departments.

Meanwhile, members of the St. Charles City Council are moving forward with an ordinance to ban smoking in the city.

The city council, along with Mayor Sally Faith, will host a series of smoking ban public hearings beginning May 6 at 7 p.m. inside St. Charles City Hall. 

The proposed law would ban smoking in the city, but likely hand out more than a dozen exemptions to businesses such as casinos, bars, bowling alleys and more.

And at the same time, Missouri State Rep. Kathie Conway, R-St. Charles, is pushing a bill through the state legislature that would place financial penalties on local counties and cities that enforce smoking bans. 

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Conay is trying to protect the rights of owners of bars, restaurants and other businesses to decide for themselves whether to allow smoking. 

Money generated from that bill—Hosue Bill 1021—would be handed over to local school districts.

Read more on smoking bans in the city and St. Charles County