Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana House gave final approval Thursday to a statewide smoking ban that includes all indoor locations except gaming facilities.
The House voted 54-44 to send Senate Bill 175 back to the Senate with the smoking ban included. A House-Senate conference committee likely will be called next week to decide whether to keep the smoking ban in the legislation.
State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, said he hopes the Senate will accept the House-approved smoking ban. A smoking ban with additional exemptions cleared the Democrat-controlled House earlier this session but never got a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.
"This is something that we should have done three years ago. I don't think we can wait another year," Brown said.
Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said earlier this month he'd prefer to wait until 2011 before taking up a smoking ban proposal.
But Brown argued Thursday it is urgent Indiana approve a smoking ban as soon as possible.
"Why is it that we want to deny that this is something good for our constituents, to say you can go to any place, including your workplace, and not be affected by secondhand smoke?" Brown said.
Several Republican lawmakers challenged Brown, arguing that a smoking ban should not be dictated by state government, but decided in each community.
"We ought to let communities do as the communities choose in this effort," state Rep. Ralph Foley, R-Martinsville, said.
Brown quickly fired back, asking, "Why did we not take that same position when it comes to guns?"
"My community would rather not have guns, but we made the decision that everybody can carry a gun wherever they want to," Brown said.
The smoking ban likely is headed to a House-Senate conference committee where legislators will work out the differences in the separately approved versions of Senate Bill 175. Any compromise reached by a conference committee still must be approved by both chambers before being sent to the governor.