By Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
dan.carden@nwi.com
INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana House approved a significantly weakened statewide indoor smoking ban Tuesday.
The House voted 73-26 to send the Senate a proposed ban that still would allow Hoosiers to smoke in gambling facilities, bars, restaurants, tobacco shops, private clubs and family-owned businesses with no nonfamily employees.
"I still maintain that many of my colleagues here who vote no or insist on exemptions are not representing their constituents. They're representing other segments of their community," said state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary. "There's no rhyme or reason for us not to pass a comprehensive smoking bill."
Brown's original smoking ban proposal only exempted casinos and horse tracks from the ban. He said Tuesday night he was disappointed so many exemptions were written into the legislation, but now that it has cleared the House he plans to work with state senators to restore his original proposal.
"We still have a long way to go," Brown said.
In 2009, the House approved a smoking ban that only exempted bars and gambling facilities, but the Senate never took a vote on the measure.