New legislation passed in the House that would eliminate smoking on all Illinois public university campuses.

The Smoke Free Campus Act would prohibit smoking on campuses effective July 1, including offices, residences halls and outdoor areas.

However, areas such as enclosed laboratories not open to the public, where smoking is necessary for medical or scientific, health-related research is still acceptable to smoke in.

The act states that prohibiting smoking on campuses would prepare students for the workplace and ensure a healthy environment along with reducing secondhand smoke.

The act, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Terry Link of Waukegan and Democratic State Rep. Ann Williams of Chicago, will move to the Senate. The House passed it with a 67-44 vote earlier this month.

While the act will not allow smoking in outdoor areas, it does allow smokers to smoke while in their cars, even if passing through campus.

If approved, the act also calls for the university to alert students, faculty and staff that the university is now smoke-free by May 1.

The act also states that the university’s website will have a map indicating where smoking is allowed.

It is also up to the university’s discretion on what the penalties will be if the act is violated. The penalties can include, but are not limited to disciplinary action, fines and an appeals process.

While there are designated areas for smoking, most prominently in the quads and outside of Booth Library, under the Smoke Free Campus Act, it would be up to the university to set in stone how the smoking areas are divided.

The act itself is an attempt to curtail secondhand smoke on campuses, and not allow others to be subjected to secondhand smoke.

Within the act, the General Assembly stated that it finds that tobacco smoke is a “harmful and dangerous carcinogen to human beings and a hazard to public health. Secondhand tobacco smoke causes at least 65,000 deaths each year from heart disease and lung cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.”

Various parties on Eastern’s campus have been trying to ban smoking on campus since as far back as 2006.

Bob Galuski can be reached at 581-2812 or dennewsdesk@gmail.com.