Loopholes may aid in smoking ban passage

What do bars, horse-racing tracks and nursing homes have in common? They are all exceptions to the rule in what could be a statewide smoking ban.

The Indiana House of Representatives will vote on Indiana’s proposed statewide smoking ban as early as Monday.

Because of loopholes that allow smoking to remain legal in some establishments, Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, is saying the ban has a good chance of being heard in the Senate if the House approves the bill.

But while the bill is sitting well with Republicans in the General Assembly, health advocates are concerned that workers in bars, clubs and other exempted establishments might be forced to choose between their health and their jobs.

Critics of a comprehensive ban see bars and clubs losing business, saying private businesses should have a say in smoking policies of their respective establishments.

After the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency realized banning smoking in horse racing tracks and casinos could cost Indiana $190 million per year, the two locales were made exempt from the ban earlier this month.

If there are any hiccups in the bill’s passage through the Senate, Danielle Patterson, chairwoman of the Indiana Campaign for Smokefree Air, suggested lawmakers remove exemptions to the bill. 

Her group and others may be more likely to support the legislation if it were a comprehensive smoking ban, Patterson said Sunday.

Rep. Charlie Brown, D–Gary, the bill’s sponsor, said to the Herald-Times that he will advocate for some removal of exemptions if the General Assembly deems it necessary.