Group Watch 3/2/2012: It’s Back
Fifteen years ago, State Senator Vivian Figures of Mobile was elected to the Alabama Legislature to fill the seat previously held by her late husband. Since her election, she has pursued a goal to pass a bill to ban smoking in most public places in Alabama. On several occasions, she has come close, only to see a Senate-passed bill die late in a session in the House. This week she told members of the Senate Health Committee during a public hearing that, “I’m back,” and that this year’s bill is a compromise that exempts private clubs, cigar bars and tobacco shops from the ban. The committee is expected to vote next week on the measure.
