BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - An annual debate over whether Louisiana
should ban smoking in bars and casinos is headed to the floor of
the state Senate, which has looked favorably on the idea in past
years.
The state already has a law that prohibits smoking in
restaurants, public places, public buildings and most places of
employment. The proposal by Sen. Rob Marionneaux, D-Livonia, would
require bars, casinos, off-track betting facilities and other
gambling spots also to become smoke-free.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee backed the measure
(Senate Bill 348) without objection Wednesday, sending it to the
full Senate for debate. The Senate passed a similar measure last
year, only to see it die in the House.
Supporters in the committee hearing included musician David
Egan, who said he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004 and has
been in remission for five years. Egan said without the ban on
smoking in bars, "In order to provide for my family, I must march
back into the toxic environment that nearly killed me."
Opponents said a smoking ban could harm businesses financially,
keeping some of their current customers at home. They also said the
facilities only allow people 18 and older inside and adults should
be able to make their own smoking decisions.
"People are generally tired of government intruding into their
life, telling them what they can and cannot do," said Alton Ashy,
a lobbyist for the video poker industry.
The committee also approved a backup bill (Senate Bill 334) by
Marionneaux, that would only extend the state's current smoking ban
to bars that make more than 10 percent of their profits from
selling food. A similar bill also failed to get approval last year
in the House.

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