Lawmakers pushing a statewide smoking ban are reassessing their strategy in light of this week’s Senate votes to drastically weaken the bill.
Supporters are considering two options: sending the bill to conference committee to negotiate a compromise or asking the House to reject the Senate version. That would force senators to vote on the stricter House version.
They expect to decide next week.
Bill Artist, lobbyist for the Colorado Restaurant Association, said that ultimately the decision for lawmakers comes down to, “Does your special interest trump the bill? I don’t think it does.”
The Senate this week voted to exempt bingo halls, casinos, taverns, racetracks and private clubs. The only controversial exemption in the House version was for casinos.
Republican Rep. Mike May of Parker, the bill’s sponsor, said he would like to send the House version to the Senate for a vote, but he doesn’t know if it has the votes to pass.
Democratic Sen. Dan Grossman of Denver, the Senate sponsor of House Bill 1175, said that was “a high-risk strategy.”
It is more likely, May said, that the bill will go to conference committee. May and Democratic Reps. Jack Pommer of Boulder and Betty Boyd of Lakewood – lawmakers who support the bill with few exemptions – would be on the committee, May said.
The restaurant association is a key supporter of a ban with few, if any, exemptions. The group has argued against exempting bars, saying that could shift business from restaurants with bars to taverns.
Taverns have argued that a ban without a bar exemption will put them out of business.
Grossman and May have said they would like to find a way to exempt small taverns without including establishments such as nightclubs and strip bars.
However, May said, “there’s real doubt that it can be fixed.”
If the bill’s final version has too many exemptions, Grossman and May have said they will kill it.
Chris Sherwin of the Colorado Tobacco Education and Prevention Alliance said supporters are keeping open the option of putting a ban on November’s ballot.
Staff writer Chris Frates can be reached at 303-820-1633 or cfrates@denverpost.com.
