The latest attempt to impose a statewide smoking ban cleared its first step in the Legislature on Wednesday.
The Indiana House Public Health Committee voted 9-3 to endorse the bill prohibiting smoking in public places and indoor work
sites — after it exempted casinos and pari-mutuel horse tracks from the ban.
Supporters said the casino exemption was needed to give the bill a chance at becoming law after the nonpartisan Legislative
Services Agency estimated the state could lose more than $180 million a year in casino taxes under a smoking ban.
Rep. Eric Turner, R-Marion, urged the committee to approve the bill, saying more than three dozen states already have similar
bans.
"It is time for Indiana to move in that direction," Turner said. "The argument that business will be hurt
by this, I just don't buy it."
The House has passed smoking bans the past two years, but the bills haven't won Senate approval.
Supporters believe the ban might have a better chance this year since Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne,
has said he would consider giving it a hearing if it exempted casinos. Gov. Mitch Daniels also has said he would sign a ban
into law.
The bill that passed the House last year also exempted bars, taverns and fraternal clubs — and some lawmakers are expected
to push for similar exemptions when it is debated in the full House.
Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, a leading smoking ban advocate for several years, said he would fight an exemption for bars and
that he believed the casino tax loss under a ban was overestimated.
"Even in the case of the smokers, they will drop off for a while, but they love gaming so they're going to come
back even though they need to give up one vice to participate in another vice," Brown said.
Rep. Dave Frizzell, R-Indianapolis, voted against the bill in the committee, arguing that the state should not place such
a mandate on businesses.
Brown said the 19 new Republicans who gave the GOP control of the 100-member House this session are wild cards.
"I don't know where the balance of all these new members hearing this debate for the first time will fall,"
Brown said.
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IBJNews
Statewide smoking ban bill clears House committee
Associated Press
January 19, 2011
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Laura-the festivals and tastings are free. What does is strengthen the sense of community with activities. What are those empty lots doing for the Village? it's sad you can't see the good that this progress can do for the area. No one is requiring anyone to shop there. I guess you'd rather see a Dollar store move in or no, we'd rather see the property stand empty b/c change is out of the question.
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Read down to the part about Brizzi. Someone needs to subpoena his "purchases" of Red RockPictures and Cellstar and his corresponding bank records, I mean c'mon, I'd like to see his alcohol usage records, too. http://diana-vice.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html
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Wonder if my neighborhood can advertise our "retention" pond and act like it is a beach too?
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a new record at the '11 salebration until they realized that it was a futile effort to get their crapwagon moter and crapwagon car up speed. And then they just quietly slunk off into the night and never spoke of it again. Nothing to see here folks.
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millions for putting a company's bumper sticker on one of its Lolas. But you gotta take what you can get.
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Then we will see how much these over weight non smokers like to be told what they are allowed to do in the name of protecting the welfare of the "state"!!
Once you let them ban smoking, believe me, ice cream isn't that far behind!!
Disgusted with these types of laws
I don't smoke, and it has been decades since the last time I had no choice but to enter a building that allowed smoking. Whether it's a bar, a casino, or my mother in law's house, I have no right to stop them from smoking. I express my personal displeasure by going elsewhere.
Let me make this clear. You do NOT have a right to go to a restaurant. You do NOT have the right to go to a bar. A restaurant owner or bar owner does NOT have the right to force you to go to his restaurant or bar. We all make individual choices about where, and how we patronize a business.
This is not about business, regulation, or individual rights. This is about health, future generations, and ethics.
It will also have a positive economic impact. More of the population does not smoke than does. It is fallacious to think that smokers will stop going out just because they cannot smoke inside. Look at the bar scenes in LA, Chicago, NY, DC, Bloomington, Portland... They have no problems attracting customers. Indianapolis will be better off with the ban.
No one said that they can't smoke, just not inside. My friends who smoke don't complain when they come to my house and have to step outside to smoke. Further, most of my friends who do smoke will not smoke inside their own house!
The time is now! If not for you, do it for the next generation.