Bill
HR 200
The bill urges the Wayne County Airport Authority to halt plans for a cigar bar at DTW, citing health risks, smoke-free protections, and public opposition.
Status & key metadata
- Title: A resolution to urge the Wayne County Airport Authority to halt plans to open a cigar bar inside the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW).
- Bill type: House Resolution (non‑binding).
- Introduced: January 3, 2025.
- Referred to: Committee on Government Operations (legislative record also shows referral to Oversight & Government Reform on 2025‑01‑03; some legislative-history entries in the provided file appear to mix other resolutions).
- Sponsors (listed): Claudia Tenney; Demetrius Douglas; Robert Flournoy; El‑Mahdi Holly; Mary Ann Santos; Noelle Kahaian; Kim Carver.
- Related measures: S 357 (companion), HCR 208 (companion).
Purpose and intent
- The resolution urges the Wayne County Airport Authority not to proceed with plans to open a cigar bar and restaurant in DTW’s McNamara Terminal. It expresses concern that allowing indoor cigar smoking would require an exemption to Michigan’s smoke‑free air law and would roll back more than 15 years of smoke‑free protections at DTW.
Key provisions (what the resolution does)
- Makes findings and statements of concern, including:
- Public opposition: cites an EPIC‑MRA poll (June 2025) reporting ~77% of Michigan voters oppose a cigar lounge in DTW.
- Usage data: notes low overall cigar use (≈3.5% of adults in 2021; ~1% of adult women) versus the large non‑smoking majority.
- Health effects: emphasizes secondhand smoke harms (cigar smoke potency, risks to nonsmokers, potential to trigger asthma and increase heart‑attack risk).
- Effectiveness of controls: cites HVAC/ventilation limitations and a position that the only effective protection is a full indoor smoking ban.
- Workplace impacts: notes DTW supports over 18,000 employees and argues comprehensive smoke‑free policies are the only effective way to eliminate secondhand exposure and associated productivity losses.
- Context: observes that most major U.S. airports prohibit indoor smoking.
- Formally “urges” the Wayne County Airport Authority to halt the cigar‑bar plan.
- Directs that copies of the resolution be transmitted to the Airport Authority board, its CEO, and DTW’s Director of Concessions and Quality Assurance.
Who would be affected
- Primary targets: Wayne County Airport Authority decision‑makers and DTW concession planning.
- Indirectly affected: DTW employees (~18,000+), travelers (including families and children), local public‑health advocates, and potential concession operators who might seek to open/operate a cigar lounge.
Legal effect and impact
- This is a non‑binding expression of the House’s position — it does not amend state law or prohibit the Airport Authority from acting. Its principal effect is political and informational: to apply legislative pressure and publicize health, safety, and public‑opinion concerns to decision‑makers at the Airport Authority.
- If persuasive, it could influence the Authority to withdraw any proposal or to refrain from seeking an exemption to Michigan’s smoke‑free law; otherwise, substantive change would require action by the Authority or amendment to state law.
Procedural/timeline notes
- Introduced January 3, 2025; referred to committee. The provided legislative-history log contains multiple, partly inconsistent entries (some appear to relate to other resolutions). Check the official legislative docket for the authoritative procedural status in the relevant legislative body.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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