Dozens of people spoke on Tuesday in favor of a proposed ordinance that would limit where new vape shops would open in Brownsville.

Brownsville residents attended Tuesday’s city council meeting where a hearing was held on the ordinance that would prevent new vape shops from opening within 1,000 feet of a school, church or hospital.

The ordinance was spearheaded by Brownsville City Commissioner Linda Macias after a vape shop opened across the street from a Brownsville ISD middle school.

“[It’s] just so we don't have students having easy access to it,” Macias said prior to the meeting. “It's a message that it sends out. We are pro-business, we are all for it, so we're not saying close them down."

The proposed ordinance was originally set to prevent vape shops from opening within 300 feet from a school, During Tuesday’s meeting, the ordinance was amended to include churches and hospitals, and to increase the radius of the ordinance.

Among those speaking in favor of the ordinance was Brownsville ISD School Board Trustee Jessica Gonzalez.

“Vaping is the number one issue we have in the district right now,” Gonzalez said. “We try so much marketing, we try to do constant presentation for these kiddos on not only the health repercussions they can face, but also they can possibly get a felony."

City commissioners voted to move the proposal to a second and final hearing. 

If passed, the ordinance would not apply to existing vape shops.