The House Health and Human Services committee yesterday snuffed out a bill that would have prohibited smoking in most public places.

The committee voted 14-14, just short of the majority required to send the bill to the full House for consideration.

The bill was proposed by state Rep. Susan E. Cornell, R-Montgomery.

Opponents of the bill, including the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, have said businesses should be able to decide for themselves whether to go smoke-free.

Even if it the bill had survived at the committee level, action by the full House would have been unlikely anytime soon. House leaders have said they want to first consider issues they consider more pressing, such as property tax reform.