By Jon Seidel, Post-Tribune
jseidel@post-trib.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- A proposal to ban smoking in public places was narrowly endorsed in committee Wednesday, with even its supporters expressing reservations and calling it a work in progress.
The bill by Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, would prohibit smoking in all public places except casinos. Brown said he wants smoking banned everywhere in Indiana, but he's offering up the casino exception so it isn't defeated by gaming lobbyists.
"We'll be back, riverboats and racinos," Brown said.
The exception didn't stop some gaming lobbyists from voicing opposition to the bill because it would prohibit smoking in portions of their facilities. Ryan Soultz of Boyd Gaming Corp., owner of the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, pointed out his company's major competitor in Northwest Indiana is a tribal casino in Michigan, which is exempt from a smoking ban in that state.
Brown's bill earned the endorsement of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and AARP of Indiana, among others. Richard Feldman, a former state health commissioner, said smoking bans don't pose an unnecessary intrusion into the rights of citizens or business owners.
Supporters also pointed to statewide smoking bans in Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. They also said a statewide ban would eliminate "border wars" where a business operating in an area with a local smoking ban must compete with a nearby business in an area where a ban isn't in effect.
The House of Representatives' public policy committee voted 7-5 in favor of the bill, which now moves on to a second reading on the House floor.
Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, said the push for a smoking ban isn't going away, and the only way to improve on Brown's bill is to move it forward.