FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky will continue to allow smoking in indoor public places and at workplaces, as a bill that would have enacted a ban on smoking has faltered, the Courier-Journal reports. “Unfortunately, it’s not going to go anywhere,” said Kentucky Sen. Julie Raque Adams, who sponsored the bill.

“We’re still fighting for it,” said Amy Barkley, who chairs the coalition Smoke-Free Kentucky. “But at this point it appears to have a zero chance because Senate leadership has made it clear they do not want this issue to move forward.”

The bill sailed through the house last month, but has languished in the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee. Senate Republican Leader Damon Thayer said that many senators “are concerned about the infringement on private property rights, free enterprise and more big government telling small businesses what to do” and therefore the bill would not pass.

Kentucky already has two dozen localities that have some sort of public smoking ban. The House bill had an exemption for private clubs, such as VFW halls and cigar bars, and would not apply to any city that has enacted its own smoking ban. Currently, 24 states have laws on the books that forbid smoking at indoor public spaces and at workplaces.