Recent state- and municipality-level stirrings could mean a possible smoking ban in State College -- a move borough council supports, the council president said.

Borough council members were presented with information Monday about a plan by Allegheny County to pass a no-smoking ordinance. If the ordinance stands, it would set a precedent for the rest of Pennsylvania's municipalities, borough health officer Mark Henry said. The ban would include enclosed public places.

In addition, the Pennsylvania Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee approved the Clean Indoor Air Act last week which, if approved, would prohibit smoking in work places and public venues, including restaurants and bars, across the state. The bill will now move to the state Senate for a full vote at an unknown date.

Pennsylvania is the only state in the northeast that does not have Clean Indoor Air legislation, said Linda LaSalle, coordinator of educational services at University Health Services.

"We are excited about it. It was approved 9-2 by the subcommittee, which is promising," said Mary Day, cancer control specialist for the American Cancer Society.

LaSalle added that this is the first time such a bill has left its committee.

"It's actually a precedent that the subcommittee has moved the bill so quickly -- it's basically historical," LaSalle said.

Borough council member Elizabeth Goreham said the council has talked in favor of a smoking ban for State College before but has not yet drafted an ordinance because of the hope that state legislation will be passed.

"It's something the state hasn't given us permission to regulate," she said.

Council President Cathy Dauler said the council has been asked by individuals to consider a municipal-wide smoking ban, but it has not moved ahead due to a lack of authority to create such an ordinance.

If the state gives municipalities the authority to create legislation, the council is not sure what specifics it would include in the ban, she said.

LaSalle, who is also the adviser for Penn State Students for Tobacco Awareness (PSSTA), said the group's main platform has been the smoke-free bar initiative. When the initiative began, there were no bars or restaurants in the downtown that offered smoke-free options.

"[PSSTA] has been very active in contacting bars and those volunteer efforts have borne some fruit," Henry said. "The members are few in number but they have done a lot of good."

Recently, several restaurants in the area have been promoting smoke-free days and some have even banned smoking altogether.

The Allen Street Grill, 100 W. College Ave., recently prohibited smoking, general manager Becky Burger said.

"We just went through a renovation, and we updated all our facilities, and the damage that nicotine and cigarette burns do is tremendous," she said.

Burger said the response to the smoke-free environment has been positive.

"The majority -- I would say 98 percent -- are excited; even the ones who smoke are happy to encourage a smoke-free atmosphere. It's such a clean environment," Burger said.

There is currently no incentive system in place by the borough for bars and restaurants prohibiting smoking on their own, Henry said.

"You have many more people that would prefer non-smoking -- that's a strong incentive," he said. "The incentive is your customer base when you look at the people who prefer non-smoking. That's the vast majority of people who live in the area."

Goreham said she is happy to see more restaurants joining the smoke-free bandwagon.

"I think we should be able to eat and dance and live a full life without breathing in second-hand smoke," she said.