Which legislators have tobacco companies in their districts?

With the General Assembly again considering enacting a smoking ban in restaurants and workplaces, Dome decided to see who represents the tobacco firms.

Alternative Brands, Mocksville:
Rep. Julia Howard, Sen. Andrew Brock

Commonwealth Brands, Reidsville:
Rep. Nelson Cole, Sen. Phil Berger

Lorillard, Greensboro:
Rep. Maggie Jeffus, Sen. Don Vaughan

Philip Morris, Concord:
Rep. Jeff Barnhart, Sen. Fletcher Hartsell

Reynolds American, Winston-Salem:
Rep. Larry Womble, Sen. Linda Garrou

Reynolds American, Tobaccoville:
Rep. Dale Folwell, Sen. Pete Brunstetter

In the 2007 session, Reps. Howard, Jeffus, Barnhart and Womble voted for a smoking ban in public places, while Reps. Cole and Folwell voted against it.

Tobacco companies are gearing up to fight a smoking ban.

The state's three major tobacco companies — Philip Morris, Lorillard and Reynolds American — plan to fight a proposal by Rep. Hugh Holliman to ban smoking in restaurants and other public places.

Michael Shannon, a staff lobbyist for Lorillard, said they think that decision should be left to the marketplace, which is already moving voluntarily toward more smoke-free establishments.

"We think there should be some accommodation for those owners of restaurants, bars or night clubs who know their customers and want to provide a smoking alternative," he told Dome.

He also argued that a provision in the bill that would allow local government to set stricter rules on smoking would put a strain on owners of multiple establishments and create havoc for customers.

"You could have a bar on one side of the street have one set of rules, and a bar on the other side have another set of rules," he said.

Lorillard has also retained Frederick Bone, son of former tobacco lobbyist Roger Bone. Reynolds American has retained lobbyist Eugene Ainsworth. A spokesman for Philip Morris said they will also hire a lobbyist, but none was registered yet with the Secretary of State.

Roger Bone, a former legislator and one of the state's top lobbyists, has died.

He passed away this morning, according to a fellow lobbyist. Further details are not yet available.

Bone was ranked the No. 1 lobbyist in North Carolina last year by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research based on a survey of journalists, politicians and lobbyists. In seven previous surveys, he was either second or third.

In June, he received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor the governor can bestow on a North Carolina citizen.

His clients included Eli Lilly, Lorillard and the N.C. Association of Long Term Care Facilities.

Political action committees associated with four major tobacco companies gave about $28,000 since 2000 to 11 of the 17 Democrats who voted against the smoking ban.

As Dome noted earlier, they were the crossovers who went against party line, helping defeat the bill.

Lorillard, R.J. Reynolds, Standard Commercial Tobacco, Philip Morris and its parent company Altria gave mostly small donations of $250, $500 or $1,000 through their PACs, typical of their contributions to other legislators.

The biggest recipient was Rep. Nelson Cole of Reidsville, who got $8,750 between 2000 and 2006. Rep. James Crawford of Oxford received $5,500 during that same time period.

Both represent tobacco-growing areas in North Carolina.

Reps. R. Van Braxton, Walter Church, Mary McAllister, Timothy Spear and Edith Warren were not listed on campaign finance reports filed by the tobacco companies' PACs.

Among the Republicans who voted for the bill, Rep. Julia Howard received $4,200 and Rep. Jeff Barnhart received $2,250.