Lawmakers want exemptions to state smoking ban

Publication Date: 2007-05-04

• Author:Blackwell Thomas
• Publication:Bloomington Pantagraph, IL

Even before Gov. Rod Blagojevich has a chance to sign a statewide smoking ban into law, some state lawmakers are proposing to roll back parts of the sweeping proposal.

The ban, approved in the House Tuesday, would affect all public places, including restaurants and bars, beginning Jan. 1. The governor has said he will sign the measure into law.

But before he does some lawmakers want to see casinos and race tracks exempted from the ban.

State Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, voted against the smoking ban and said he worries it will force gamblers out of casinos in his district and into casinos just minutes away in Iowa.