You'll no longer be able to light up in your motel room, under a less publicized provision of the statewide smoking ban. Trisha Pugal, President and CEO of the Wisconsin Innkeepers Association , is hoping for a last minute change to the statewide smoking ban that's scheduled for a vote in the Senate and Assembly today. “We feel it's very important to have an amendment introduced that would add back in the twenty five percent cap on smoking rooms,” says Pugel, noting that the compromise announced last week has no provision for smoking rooms in Wisconsin hotels and motels. “We had heard rumors, but yes, it was surprise that they did negotiate to remove the option.”
Not only that, Pugal says her organization was not at the table as the compromise was being negotiated. “If we had been, we could have provided some of the important information about the neighboring states and the issues with privacy, about how we're not able to monitor whether or nor people are smoking in the rooms,” says Pugal, explaining that neighboring states with smoking bans continue to allow their innkeepers to offer the choice of smoking or nonsmoking rooms.
