The state Health Board cleared the way Tuesday for tobacco taxes to reimburse restaurants that clean up their smoking rooms and eliminate smoking throughout the restaurant by Jan. 1.
About 100 to 150 smoking rooms with special ventilation systems were built to comply with a 2003 state law. Last year, former Gov. Brad Henry signed the reimbursement measure into law.
About $1.2 million in tobacco taxes each year would be available to help pay for the room dismantling, with the rebate calculated at 50 percent of the cost of building smoking rooms, minus depreciation on those capital costs. But how many restaurants will apply for the rebate and eliminate smoking is unknown.
