New Rules Could Ban Smoking In Gardens And Patios

"It's going to affect us. It will affect our income and then what we're able to put back into the economy." (see attached video)

Small outdoor dining areas like this one at Stumpy's Pub in Rockford could soon be ruled out for smokers. That's because new rules being considered by the Illinois legislature could ban smoking outside in gardens and patios. It's a proposal one of the owners of Stumpy's Pub says would be bad for business.

"A lot of places have spent a lot of money on developing smoking areas and trying to go by the rules that they developed the first time for this. And, now once you spent tens of thousands or a hundred-thousand dollars on something like this, now all of a sudden they come in and they're going to change the rules on it," said JayGesner.

Senator Dave Syverson, 35th District,agrees and calls the new regulations unnecessary. "People like the idea that it's smoke free inrestaurants but they don't oppose the idea if someone wants to smoke outside and its worked. So why come in and change that and create hardship for smokers but also restaurants," said Senator Dave Syverson.

Syverson is urging fellow legislators on the rules committee to vote down what he calls an overreach by the governor.

"What we have is the governor and the health department trying to change a rule not a law but trying to change a rule that would ban smokers outside of restaurants even though it's following the law," said Syverson.

And, for the sake of his business and others like him- Gesner agrees.

"Every customer we lose we have to order less, we need less help, its just a chain affect on the whole economy."

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New Rules Could Ban Smoking In Gardens And Patios