Bill Banning Smoking Statewide On Its Last Gasp

Publication Date: 2006-03-13

• Author:Associated Press
• Publication:The Denver Channel.com

Bars Is Biggest Sticking Point Among Lawmakers

With a statewide smoking ban potentially on the line, the Colorado House voted Monday to try to negotiate a compromise with the Senate, which approved a version with far more loopholes.

The big sticking point is bars: The House wants them covered by the ban but the Senate wants them exempted. A coalition of consumer and health groups and the Colorado Restaurant Association also wants them covered by the ban, and their support could evaporate if the exemption stands.

"That's the break it or make it deal. They (bars) have to be in," said Rex Wilmouth, a lobbyist for the Colorado Public Interest Research Group.

Casinos were exempted in both the House and Senate version of the ban and that's not expected to change. Smoking would also be allowed in bingo halls, racetracks, cigar bars and the smoking lounge at Denver International Airport.

Senators, however, voted to exempt bars that get less than 25 percent of their annual revenue from food sales, saying they wanted to prevent small, neighborhood bars from going out of business.