Topeka ? The House Health and Human Services Committee is having hearings this week on a bill to ban smoking in most public places in Kansas.

Those places would include bars and restaurants.

The bill passed the Senate last month. It includes several exemptions, including private clubs and the gambling floor of state-owned casinos.

Committee Chairwoman Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, said Tuesday that the panel will decide next week whether to endorse the bill. But Landwehr said smoking bans are best left to local governments.

Supporters say the bill would reduce the amount of exposure to secondhand smoke.

At least 23 states require most public places and workplaces to be smoke-free.