In one of its final acts this legislative session, the Colorado Senate killed a measure Monday night that would have banned public smoking.
The proposal had been bouncing between the House and the Senate for two months as legislators bickered over whether it should apply solely to restaurants or also include bars, casinos and racetracks.
The Senate originally passed a ban that would have applied only to restaurants. But the House last week changed it to include bars, while still exempting casinos, racetracks and bingo parlors.
The Senate voted 18-16 Monday night to reject the House changes, with two Democrats – Sen. Stephanie Takis of Aurora and Sen. Lois Tochtrop of Thornton joining 16 Republicans to kill the bill.
Sen. Dan Grossman, D-Denver, said failure of the measure condemns many employees to work in unhealthy environments. He said smokers do not “have the right to jeopardize the health of those around you.”
Erin Bertoli, government affairs director for the American Heart Association, said the group will continue to work with local governments to enact bans in cities and counties across the state.
She said the group has not decided whether it will pursue a statewide smoking ban next year with a citizen-sponsored initiative.
– MARK P. COUCH
