Hastings on FTA's & Idaho Smoking Ban

Hastings on FTA’s & Idaho Smoking Ban. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Washington Congressman Doc Hastings says the three free trade agreements have been passed down to the House.

HASTINGS: The House has received it and the Ways and Means committee yesterday (Wednesday) passed out all three free trade agreements into the House. I expect those trade agreements to be on the floor of the House next week and I expect all three of them to pass. They will be very beneficial to our agriculture community in central Washington because it will remove barriers which we have been fighting for some time. So I think this will be very advantageous to our agriculture industry.

Hastings says there is of course opposition to the agreements from labor and some Democrats but he believes that there is enough support that they will be passed.

More and more places are going smoke free. Smoking bans in restaurants and buildings have been in place for quite some time. Now the Boise City Council is mulling over two possible ordinances that would ban smoking in bars, in city parks and on the Greenbelt. A survey conducted by the city found that 70 percent of residents said they would support increased smoking restrictions. A public hearing is scheduled for the 18th.

Now here’s today’s Washington Grange report.

(Grange)

That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.