Today's edition of Puff.com news covers five different topics. Keep reading for more on a possible smoking ban in Texas, two cigar industry events, some improvements in travel to Cuba, and one brand's effort to make cigars more affordable.

New bill in Texas aims to ban smoking in public places

We have heard a lot of news on smoking bans in the states of New York, Florida, and California in the recent past, and it now appears as if it's Texas' turn to deal with the issue. Just last week, a bill was approved by the Senate Human Services Committee by a 5-3 vote that would prohibit smoking in public places in the Lone Star State.

The bill was backed primarily by Senator Rodney Ellis. According to the Associated Press, it's not the first time that such a bill has tried to gain approval, as anti-smoking measures have been a topic of heated discussion in the past. Certain cities in Texas already have anti-smoking bans in place. The bill's next step is to receive approval from the full Senate before it can become official.

If passed, public places such as bars and restaurants would no longer be able to permit smoking. Tobacco shops and cigar bars would be exempt, however. Proponents of the bill say that it is necessary to protect workers at places such as bars and restaurants from the negative effects of secondhand smoke. Those who oppose the bill say that it violates business owners' private property rights. If the bill does receive final approval, it would be yet another loss for the tobacco industry as more and more smoking bans and higher taxes sweep across the United States.