Casino smoking ban goes to the full House
A proposal (House Bill 1269) to extend the statewide smoking ban to gambling houses was backed Thursday by the House Health and Human Services Committee, sending the issue on to the full House.
Supporters believe they have enough votes to pass the measure in the House but are uncertain about its prospects in the Senate. The Senate killed the first smoking ban proposal in 2005 but last year voted 19-15 to back the ban, which exempted casinos.
Ed Smith, owner of the Wild Card casino, one of the few “mom and pop” casinos in Black Hawk, said there wasn’t room on his property to build an outdoor smoking area because it’s surrounded by other casinos.
John Bohannan of the larger Isle of Capri casino in Black Hawk predicted casinos would lose 20 percent to 35 percent of their business if smoking is banned, costing the state millions in tax revenue. He said the only states that saw an increase despite a smoking ban had expanded gambling at the same time.
Supporters of the ban included veterans’ groups, which lost their bid to have their halls exempted earlier this session, two doctors, a nurse and gamblers who said they avoid the casinos in the three historic mountain towns where gambling is allowed.
Referendum C revenue limits fail in committee
Some statehouse Republicans are still fighting against Referendum C – the voter-approved measure that lets the state keep extra revenues during a five-year timeout from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
On Thursday, Rep. Kevin Lundberg’s proposal to cut personal income tax rates from 4.63 percent to 4.33 percent between 2007 and 2011 bit the dust.
The Berthoud Republican sponsored House Bill 1241, which aimed to let the state keep only $3.7 billion in extra revenues – the amount projected before the November 2005 vote on Referendum C.
The Democratic majority on the House state affairs committee rejected the bill, which would have reduced state revenues by $822 million.
“It’s puzzling how Republicans claim to be for things like transportation funding but sponsor legislation that would erase the billions of dollars voters made available for transportation by passing that measure,” said Rep. Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville.
Stronger water-quality law goes to governor
A proposal to strengthen state water-quality law that has failed at the Capitol the past six years was passed by the Senate on Thursday.
The measure from Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, and Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass, had already passed the House and is now on its way to Gov. Bill Ritter.
The genesis of House Bill 1132 is in the feud between Colorado Springs and its downstream neighbor Pueblo, which contends Colorado Springs is fouling Fountain Creek – one of the Arkansas River’s tributaries – with sewage.
If Ritter signs it, water-court judges could consider environmental effects before approving transfers of large amounts of water out of rivers.
Age 6 for school clears House committee
The House Education Committee passed Senate Bill 16, a proposal to lower the age from 7 to 6 at which a child is required to attend school. The bill from Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, and Rep. Dorothy Butcher, D-Pueblo, passed 11-2.
