Tobacco Facts.

WATERLOO, Iowa - Several legislative candidates said a poor economy could prevent them from supporting proposals to extend the state’s smoking ban to casinos during a Tuesday forum sponsored by the Black Hawk County Board of Health.

The 2008 law prohibited smoking in most public places, including bars and restaurants, but exempted casinos, the Iowa State Fairgrounds and the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. Incumbent lawmakers said the law was the result of a compromise to get it passed.

“Quite frankly we would have never passed the smoking bill if casinos were included there,” State Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo said. “I think it’s quite obviously a flaw in the law.”

Dotzler, whose family has operated downtown Waterloo bars, noted he that he voted against the final version of the bill because he felt it was unconstitutional since it treated bars inside casinos differently than ones outside.

Dotzler and other candidates said they’d like to see the ban extended to casinos to make the ban more uniform but weren’t sure if that would happen now since it could hurt local economies and state revenues. Similar scenarios were seen in Illinois when it passed a ban.

“Would I like to do it? Yeah, I’d like to do it, but you’ve got to weigh it out,” said State Rep. Doris Kelley, D-Waterloo. “We’re in some challenging times when it comes to finances.”

Dotzler’s challenger, Republican Ron Welper, said he didn’t think businesses were hurt that much by the ban and thought casinos would fare similarly.

“I’m really surprised they didn’t include casinos in the first place,” Welper said. “I was real surprised by that.”

Kelley and Waterloo Republican John Rooff, who is running for House District 21, said they’ve lost loved ones to smoking-related lung cancer and felt the ban was effective at reducing smoking rates and tobacco-related health care costs. Kelley, who represents House District 20, said those diseases cost the state about $1 billion annually.

Rooff said people seem to have adjusted to the ban well.

“I don’t see that restaurants have declined that much,” he said. “They may have declined that much because of the economy, but not because of smoking.”

Rooff said he didn’t have enough information to be in favor of or against expanding the ban.

Walt Rogers, a Cedar Falls Republican opposing Kelley, was not present. Democrat Anesa Kajtazovic, Rooff’s opponent, also was absent.

State Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls, said the bill was difficult to pass because opponents tried to water it down with amendments. Exempting casinos was a final compromise.

“I did not support allowing them to be exempted from it, but in the end, I voted for the smoking bill as it was written out,” Kressig said.

Kressig said he’s not heard any word from legislative leaders about introducing a bill to expand the ban this year. Nor did he think it’d be repealed if Democrats lose the majority.

Kressig’s Republican opponent, Darin Beck, of Cedar Falls, also was absent.

Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat, said last month that he’d like to see casinos in the ban and would push for it if re-elected.
By JOSH NELSON
Copyright 2010 Wcfcourier

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