JustinS
11-20-2008, 11:41 PM
Iowa’s first lady admitted today that she smoked in a state-owned vehicle, breaking a law that her husband signed with fanfare in April.
The law bans smoking in most workplaces, including employers’ vehicles. It specifically bans smoking in government-owned cars.
Mari Culver released a statement today acknowledging the misstep. “Like many Iowans, I have struggled to quit smoking. I successfully quit last year, but unfortunately started again a few months ago,” she wrote. “I did smoke in a state vehicle, which I regret, and I promise that it will not happen again.”
Culver’s admission came a day after a Des Moines Register reporter noticed her openly smoking in a Chevrolet Tahoe that the state provides to her family. The black sport-utility vehicle was stopped at a stoplight in downtown Des Moines about 8:45 a.m. Culver was sitting in the passenger seat with the window rolled down and a cigarette in her hand. A state trooper was driving. Numerous pedestrians and motorists passed by the scene.
The law went into effect July 1. It bans smoking in most workplaces, including bars and restaurants. Opponents said it was an infringement on individual rights. Proponents said it would protect workers from secondhand smoke, which they said can cause cancer and other diseases.
The ban was one of the most controversial proposals in the Legislature last spring. Gov. Chet Culver sided with proponents, and he signed the bill in front of 200 people gathered for a Statehouse ceremony. “Today, we are locking arms, putting partisan politics aside and joining together with one common purpose: to build a healthier Iowa,” he said.
Offenses can bring a $50 ticket, and state troopers are empowered to cite individual smokers who break the law, said Bonnie Mapes, a state administrator who oversees the ban.
Mari Culver declined to comment on the matter beyond the two-sentence statement she issued through her husband's spokesman. The spokesman did not immediately respond to follow-up questions, including about whether the first lady would be issued a ticket.
Damn, culver can't even keep his own wife in line LOL!
The law bans smoking in most workplaces, including employers’ vehicles. It specifically bans smoking in government-owned cars.
Mari Culver released a statement today acknowledging the misstep. “Like many Iowans, I have struggled to quit smoking. I successfully quit last year, but unfortunately started again a few months ago,” she wrote. “I did smoke in a state vehicle, which I regret, and I promise that it will not happen again.”
Culver’s admission came a day after a Des Moines Register reporter noticed her openly smoking in a Chevrolet Tahoe that the state provides to her family. The black sport-utility vehicle was stopped at a stoplight in downtown Des Moines about 8:45 a.m. Culver was sitting in the passenger seat with the window rolled down and a cigarette in her hand. A state trooper was driving. Numerous pedestrians and motorists passed by the scene.
The law went into effect July 1. It bans smoking in most workplaces, including bars and restaurants. Opponents said it was an infringement on individual rights. Proponents said it would protect workers from secondhand smoke, which they said can cause cancer and other diseases.
The ban was one of the most controversial proposals in the Legislature last spring. Gov. Chet Culver sided with proponents, and he signed the bill in front of 200 people gathered for a Statehouse ceremony. “Today, we are locking arms, putting partisan politics aside and joining together with one common purpose: to build a healthier Iowa,” he said.
Offenses can bring a $50 ticket, and state troopers are empowered to cite individual smokers who break the law, said Bonnie Mapes, a state administrator who oversees the ban.
Mari Culver declined to comment on the matter beyond the two-sentence statement she issued through her husband's spokesman. The spokesman did not immediately respond to follow-up questions, including about whether the first lady would be issued a ticket.
Damn, culver can't even keep his own wife in line LOL!