New smoke-free public housing rule to go into effect

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A new rule being implemented by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development aims to eliminate smoking inside public housing. 

The new rule goes into effect Tuesday. 

On Monday, Milwaukee city officials joined leaders of the American Lung Association to commemorate the new rule. It bans people from smoking inside public housing and aims to reduce the harmful impacts of second-hand smoke.

"The enforcement comes from on-site managers, residents, but more importantly, it's to increase their health. Smoking is permitted within the premise, but not inside; on the grounds, a distance away from the entrance," said Willie Hines Jr., Associate Director of the Housing Authority for the City of Milwaukee. 

Officials say secondhand smoke can linger in rooms and travel between homes in multi-unit buildings. They say the rule will protect close to 2 million Americans across the country from being exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, including more than 18,000 in Wisconsin.