CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A legislative committee hears testimony on a late session bill to ease Nevada’s indoor smoking ban.

AB571 would allow taverns and bars that serve people 21 years old and older to reopen their kitchens.

The voter-approved Nevada Clean Indoor Act prohibits smoking in restaurants and bars that serve food, in slot machine sections of grocery and convenience stores, and at video arcades, shopping malls, schools and day-care centers.

Bar owners say the ban has hurt their business.

The bill would also appropriate $15,000 to study the indoor smoking prohibition.

Opponents of the measure say no further study is necessary, and that easing the restriction would jeopardize the health of employees who would be exposed to secondhand smoke.

The Assembly Ways and Means Committee hears the bill today.