According to the Associated Press, the Indiana House Public Health Committee voted 9-3 to endorse the bill prohibiting smoking in public places and indoor work sites — after it exempted casinos and pari-mutuel horse tracks from the ban. Representative Dave Frizzell voted against the bill in the committee, arguing that the state should not place such a mandate on businesses.
Supporters said the casino exemption was needed to give the bill a chance at becoming law after the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimated the state could lose more than $180 million a year in casino taxes under a smoking ban, according to the news report.
The House has passed smoking bans the past two years, but the bills haven’t won Senate approval. Governor Mitch Daniels has said he would sign a ban into law.