Health 7-20-07

People who smoke in nursing homes or adult-care centers would be subject to a $200 fine under a House bill that's now moving through the Senate. The bill was introduced in April, just after a cigarette ignited a fire at an adult care home in Davie County, killing one person and injuring 21 others. Residents of such homes are already banned from smoking in their rooms, but can smoke in indoor lounges. The bill, House Bill 1294, returns to the House, where members will decide whether to accept a Senate change that would exempt state psychiatric hospitals from the smoking ban.