Asm. Jerry Hill‘s (D-San Mateo County) AB 574 is relatively simple: it further limits smoking in hospitals.

This bill prohibits smoking in all areas of acute care hospitals, including the general hospital campus, buildings, parking areas, plazas, and sidewalks. Establishes a patient-specific exemption to the smoking prohibition established by this bill if authorized by a treating physician. (Assembly committee analysis 5/6/09)

The one stumbling block to this bill seems to have been removed when Hill agreed to allow an exception for a treating doctor’s letter. So, if this bill gets signed, be prepared to take a little hike if you want to smoke a cigarette near a hospital.

The logic behind this apparently comes from a “teachable moment” philosophy, meaning that when you are in a hospital, a place of sickness, perhaps you should consider what you are doing to yourself. Or perhaps that the smokers themselves should consider that the cigarettes are putting them in the hospital. Perhaps the hike to smoke the cigarette will impress upon the patient just how crazy this whole smoking thing is.

At any rate, as I mentioned above, this one looks set to cruise through the Legislature.  Given that there is no organized opposition to the bill, other than the Republicans who are against it just because, you would think Arnold would sign it.  However, this is Arnold we’re talking about, so you never know.