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House Speaker: State lawmakers may seek smoking ban

December 15, 2011

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Government, Government & Economic Development, Legislature, Public Safety, Smoking Ban, State Government

Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma says lawmakers may seek passage of a statewide smoking ban before the nation's attention turns to Indianapolis for the February Super Bowl.

Bosma said Thursday that he may speed through a statewide smoking ban after an Indianapolis' City-County Council committee on Tuesday voted down a proposal to ban smoking in the city ahead of the Feb. 5 Super Bowl.

Lawmakers return for their 2012 session January 4.

Gov. Mitch Daniels has said he would consider signing a statewide smoking ban.

Other House and Senate leaders said Thursday they see easy approval of such a ban. But House Democratic Leader Pat Bauer cautioned that Hoosiers generally like smoking bans except in their own neighborhood bars and restaurants.

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Scott EwingDecember 18, 2011 11:35 AM
comments by MARCUS

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Oh really?

Scott EwingDecember 18, 2011 11:33 AM
I would suspect that an anti-smoking shill such as yourself would post that comment in a feeble attempt to show smokers as poorly educated hillbillys. Fact: The anti-smoking lobby IS funded by those that have a financial stake in forcing people to quit. The Robert Woods Johnson Foundation for instance, which is just a shell orginazation for Johnson & Johnson. Here in Michigan, the hospitality industry has been devistated by the smoking ban. If I owned a bar, I would allow smoking, ban YOU, and fight any fines tooth and nail. Since my business is Rental property, out of the 100 applications I've had over the years, exactly one person has declined to rent from me because I allow smoking. I will not cater to the 1%. Lest you try to bring it up, I rent good apartments and houses, but don't always get them back that way. About a year ago I evicted a couple with a big sign on the door about 'No smoking in this house' (which is their right in a single family home) but the place was a pig sty. So much for smoking being dirty.

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NO

red hendarDecember 15, 2011 11:55 PM
The GOP wants to downsize government and quit meddling in peoples lives. How does involving government in my smoking decisions lead to less intrusive government? Don't waste time talking smoking bans, RTW. Spend this session of the legislature getting something productive done! Stay out of my personal business and DO YOURS!

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I smell a compromise

GTDecember 15, 2011 9:35 PM
Ban smoking in public places and simultaneously eliminate the collection of state tax on smoking products.

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More Government

BrianDecember 15, 2011 5:45 PM
Why does one single event over a one week period call for a change in the smoking laws in Indiana?...So are we saying we are not willing to accomodate the thousands of potential smokers arriving for this huge event? I don't smoke, but I think this is a bad idea. Don't do it Mr. Bosma...

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Something Fishy

John.StevensonDecember 15, 2011 3:49 PM
It seems peculular to me that this is being rammned down our throats on the eve of the Super Bowl. I am all for a statewide smoking ban in all public places (I'm up in the air on the private club issue). However, a part of me believes that the NFL is pushing some of our legislators hard on this issue. While some may say the end justifies the means, I would rather us pass meaningful, equal legislation on our own and without undue pressure from outside parties. Let us have a long discussion over a decided piece of legislature, then perhaps have a voter referendum on it deciding it's fate. Clearly Indiana has one of the highest smoking rates in the county, but let us decide this thing once and for all, with everyone's opinion (at thier choosing) involved and not rush things through with a crazed agenda, which always seems to be the case with these smoking laws planned. This should be done, lets stop all the tricks and games and do it in a BIG discussion and vote and end this thing once and for all.

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Thank you

CKDecember 15, 2011 3:15 PM
Finally Speaker Bosma, do what the city was not able to get done. Leave the private clubs alone for now, let's join the rest of the 21st century and bring Indiana into the mainstream with smoke free bars and restaurants.

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Look down...

MarcusDecember 15, 2011 2:59 PM
I'm afraid the comment below is exactly what we can expect from much of the state (i.e. denial, pleas to remember the founding fathers, and incoherent, misspelled sentences). The truth is that public smoking is not a right, and businesses have no incentive to ban smoking because the costs are externalized.

Also, as an aside, I am quite concerned about our culture's understanding of science as of late. Don't like having to reduce your energy consumption or act responsible? "Global warming is a hoax!" Don't want to give up smoking in public? "There's no proof secondhand smoke is harmful!" It is no wonder we lag behind the civilized world in science comprehension. Here, science seems to be based on one's political stance. Tragic.

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Where have our Freedoms gone

Jesse VDecember 15, 2011 2:36 PM
Listen y'all therw is no such thing as 2nd hand smoke causing cancer..the studies that linked tath use very questionable statistics and takes huge leaps of scientific faith(IE: an educated guess is STILL just that, a GUESS!)...the Scientific Community is NOT COMPLETELY SOLD on this 2nd hand smoke train that was started, purely to push smokers out of the mainstream and into darkend alleys.

Speaker Bosma, be a REAL REpublican and not a Big GOVT REpublican, and SAVE our freedoms. Dont jump on the whats most politically expediant train and leave us with ANOTHER lost freedom

Signed,
A non- moker

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Out-of-Touch

mikeWDecember 15, 2011 2:11 PM
Bauer, you are out of touch! More people want this than you think. Cities that have had smoking bans, some for more than 5 years now, are doing just fine. People are still working, and guess what, MORE competition of bars and restaurants have moved in. You're out of touch. Don't allow exemptions for bars and restaurants....geesh. Get it over with. If they want to smoke they go outside and come back it, its not a big deal.

I go to more hilljack backwards places across the country outside of Indy and Indiana and THEY have smoking bans. Wake-up!

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PLEASE-NO GRIDLOCK

JEFF YORKDecember 15, 2011 1:31 PM
I'M PROUD OF THE LEGISLATURE. PLEASE, NO DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS, NO GRIDLOCK. DO SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR A CHANGE.

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