District of Columbia lawmakers have approved a bill raising the city's smoking age to 21, but for the law to take effect, they'll still need to come up with a way to pay for it.
The bill was approved Tuesday on a 10-3 vote and goes to Mayor Muriel Bowser for her signature. However, the mayor or the council will need to come up with $5 million over four years to offset an expected loss in tax revenue.
Dozens of cities have raised the smoking age to 21 in a bid to reduce smoking, but Hawaii and California are the only states that have done it.
District lawmakers also voted Tuesday to ban smokeless tobacco from sports venues, a move that will affect the Washington Nationals and visiting teams.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
