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Richard Piatt ReportingIn the final hours of the 2006 Utah Legislature, an anti-smoking bill is little more than embers. Major changes made this morning may be enough to snuff the bill out completely.
Smoking is bad wherever you are: That's the message the Utah Legisalture wishes they could turn into some kind of law, somehow. On Utah's Capitol Hill, this year's proposal would have expanded Utah's clean air act to include private clubs and bars, but not everyone agrees with telling bar owners what they have to do.
Rep. Margaret Dayton, (R) Orem: "Until we're willing to outlaw it, I would say private property rights should trump that. And I will be voting against this bill and hope you will too. "
That's in spite of obvious health consequences to non-smokers and employees at the clubs.
Rep. Ann Hardy, (R) Bountiful: "To me this has to be a health issue. Anyone who has seen a loved one die of lung cancer, they would not even question banning smoking in public places."
But the issue became so political that the original Senate Bill was changed. Highland Republican John Dougall added a smoking ban on playgrounds, near children, and where people are waiting in line outdoors. Then, Clearfiled Republican Curtis Oda proposed a version that bans smoking only in a few private clubs. Both changes had the effect of gutting the bill, and some think it makes it too vague.
Rep. Becky Lockhart, (R) Provo: "There's wind out there. There's air, there's a whole world of air, and a lot in here."
And the bill's sponsor urged reluctant support.
Rep. Brad Last, (R) Saint George: "You get something, it's better than nothing, and I think the substitute is better than nothing."
What happened to this bill is happening to a lot of bills--dying a potentially slow death amid a fight over money and pet projects. This one may or may not come up again.
