Today the Colorado House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to ban smoking in most public places, including bars and restaurants.
After more than two hours of debate that stretched into early afternoon, lawmakers fought off about two dozen amendments to exempt certain establishments from the ban – bingo parlors to bars all tried to get out from under the measure.
In the end, the only additional exemption that stuck was one to allow smoking on casino floors.
“What are we a bunch of Mary Poppins here? People who go to casinos gamble for heavens’ sake. They gamble and they smoke. Good lord,” said Republican Rep. Jim Sullivan, whose district includes Cripple Creek.
When the bill hit the House floor, casinos were exempted from the ban, only to be put back in during the debate. But by the end of the day, Sullivan had enough votes, 34-27, to win casinos an exemption.
The only exemptions in the bill now are for casino floors, the DIA smoking lounge, cigar bars, smoke shops, small businesses and family farms.
Bars and taverns, on the other hand, were not so lucky. Even after intense lobbying, an amendment to exempt establishments that generate less than 25 percent of their sales from food failed twice.
Republican Rep. Lauri Clapp of Centennial offered the amendment, which went down 27-36, because she worried the ban would put small taverns out of business.
“The restaurants are the winners in this bill and the small businessman is the loser in this bill. Make no mistake about it, that’s what we’re doing we’re picking winners and loser,” Clapp said.
But Republican Rep. Mike May, the sponsor of House Bill 1175, said that most small mom-and-pop restaurants have bar areas that would be hurt if smoking was banned in their bars but allowed in taverns.
The idea that the bill will put bars out of business is “not true, not true, not true.”
Republican Rep. Al White of Winter Park proposed an amendment to outlaw smoking.
If smoking is a public health risk, as supporters of the bill argued, it should be classified with other dangerous drugs like cocaine, heroin and marijuana, he said.
“Let’s not be hypocritical members. Let’s not talk about where we should smoke and where we shouldn’t smoke. If smoking is a health problem then we shouldn’t smoke anywhere in this state,” White said.
The amendment was ruled as not germane to the bill and was not voted on.
The bill, which passed without a recorded vote, is expected to face a final House vote next week. If passed, it then moves to the Senate.
Chris Frates can be reached at cfrates@denverpost.com or 303-820-1633.
