While New Jersey lawmakers prepare to take their summer break on June 30, the fight to pass legislation ending smoking in Atlantic City’s casinos will apparently continue into the fall session.
“We’re officially in the same spot we’ve been for the past couple of years,” said Pete Naccarelli, a Borgata dealer and one of the leaders of CEASE (Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects). “But we’re in the weeds and making progress. Upwards of 85 legislators out of the 120 in the Senate and Assembly are co-sponsoring the bill, and we’ve gotten a lot of good buzz during this spring’s hearings.”
Despite that forward progress, and despite a majority of legislators having co-sponsored the bill, and despite Gov. Phil Murphy stating that he would sign the bill should it reach his desk, Naccarelli does not expect the measure to move before the summer break.
