Brown turns up heat on bill to ban smoking

INDIANAPOLIS -- A media blitz could start as soon as today to revive a statewide smoking ban bill believed to be dead in the Indiana Senate.

Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, wrote the statewide smoking ban bill that was watered down with amendments before it passed the House of Representatives early this month. Brown said Wednesday some of his colleagues are more interested in serving special interests than their own constituents.

"We have too much protectionism here," Brown said.

Danielle Patterson, advocacy director for the American Heart Association, said her agency will join a coalition of at least 26 groups in the anti-smoking blitz. They will write letters to Indiana newspapers and put the word out to anti-smoking advocates.

"We need to put pressure on the Senate," Patterson said. "We need for them to send a strong bill back to the House."

The bill to ban smoking in public places currently includes exemptions for bars, fraternal organizations, family businesses and tobacco shops. It also exempts casinos, an exception written into the original bill by Brown.

He said he included that exception to prevent gambling lobbyists from killing the bill. It soon became apparent the bill wouldn't pass the House, though, if more exemptions weren't added.

Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said the bill has little chance of passing in the second chamber, though, even with the exemptions. Patterson said her coalition not only wants the Senate to pass the bill, she wants the exemptions removed.

Opponents have said the bill would hurt businesses struggling with a difficult economy, and they've said anti-smoking advocates should encourage members of their movement to vote with their dollars instead of passing legislation.

There is likely less than a month left in this year's session of the General Assembly, and Patterson acknowledged time isn't on her side.

"We just didn't want the conversation to stop and for the Senate to just close down," Patterson said. "We want the senators to give it a fair hearing."