If government is supposed to be of the people and for the people, why do some state politicians want to serve the interests of business owners over the interests of state residents?
The case in point: a smoking-ban measure that is winding its way through the state House of Representatives.
An important vote will take place Friday morning. Several legislators will attempt to water down the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006 by adding a slew of exemptions that would make it pointless.
Several want to exempt casinos.
A few want to exempt bars.
Some want to exempt nightclubs.
Others want to exempt taverns.
But if taverns, which serve food, are exempted, restaurant owners will cry foul.
And what would it lead to: an exemption for restaurants?
Mike May, the Republican representative from Parker who sponsored the bill, is incredulous hearing about all the exemptions his colleagues want to add.
“I know one person is going to bring forth an amendment to exempt bingo halls,” May told me.
Friday, the House will be doing what’s called a “second reading” vote. It’s when legislators can add amendments. May said, “The real battle will be Friday. This is when it will be finalized.”
May is hoping the bill will be cleared without unnecessary exemptions. If it is, it has the chance of passing a full vote Monday.
Already, it has exemptions that make sense: cigar bars, the smoking lounge at Denver International Airport, and of course people’s homes and cars and all private clubs.
Still, some legislators want to Ginsu-
Knife it, slicing and dicing the bill until there’s nothing left.
Does this make sense in a state where 80 percent of residents don’t smoke?
Not only do most of us not smoke, most of us don’t want to breathe in potentially harmful secondhand smoke.
A statewide survey conducted last year by the American Cancer Society revealed that two out of three people want the state to ban smoking in all bars, taverns, nightclubs and casinos.
The majority of Coloradans are yearning to breathe free, yet many business owners who are afraid they’ll lose business want an exemption.
What are they selling, cancer?
In a polite society, smokers should yield to those who want to breathe toxin-free air – especially those who can’t escape like bar and nightclub workers. In this debate people often forget that the hearts and lungs of thousands of workers are at risk. Please don’t say they can work elsewhere. Not in this economy.
Will Colorado live up to its outdoor, healthy image? Or will legislators, beholden to the interests of casinos and bar owners, vote in a bunch of amendments that will eventually kill the bill? We shouldn’t wait to find out.
The house vote will set the tone for the Senate, which will have its own vote. If the bill passes and the governor signs it, the law would take effect July 1.
Call or e-mail your representative today. To get their contact information, type in your ZIP code at vote-smart.org.
I’ve already contacted mine, Joel Stanton Judd, D-Denver, and he told me he’s all for the clean-air bill, without the exemptions.
R.J. Ours, director of government relations for the American Cancer Society, said every legislator should be called, even the ones who support it.
“If they hear from a lot of people who want this bill passed, it will give them even more confidence that they’re doing the right thing,” Ours said. If someone is on the fence, a few calls could make the difference.
“We don’t know how this is going to turn out,” Ours said. “You don’t know until the votes are cast.”
By then it may be too late.
Cindy Rodríguez’s column appears Tuesdays and Thursdays in Scene. Contact her at 303-820-1211 or crodriguez@denverpost.com.
