Committee introduces rule banning smoking, vaping and alcohol on House floor during sessions

The House State Affairs Committee introduced RS 32025 on Friday, a proposed change to House Rule 40 that would prohibit smoking, vaping, the use of other tobacco products and the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the House chamber and gallery while the House is in session.

Representative Mickelson, who presented the RS, said the measure is intended to avoid repeatedly exempting the floor from Rule 40 each session. "Simply what we're doing is we are not allowing smoking, vaping and the use of any other tobacco product or the consumption of alcoholic beverages while ... in the representative chamber or gallery while the House is in session," he said.

Representative Holtzclaw moved to introduce RS 32025. Members debated whether a blanket ban would be preferable to the current practice of granting permission for specific occasions. Representative Palmer said he had "a hard time supporting it," arguing that occasional eating or drinking water on the floor is common and that a full ban could lead to messes that staff would have to clean. Mickelson said he would be open to a friendly amendment to allow water and light snacks.

Representative Barbieri asked why vaping would be prohibited; Mickelson replied that smoking, vaping and consumption of alcohol fall under the same concerns about decorum. Committee members then voted and the motion to introduce RS 32025 carried on a voice vote; the chair recorded Representative Palmer as voting no.

The RS would modify internal House rules (Rule 40) if adopted through the formal rule-change process. The committee did not take further action to amend the RS at the meeting.