It's 11:37am here at the Iowa Statehouse. The smoking debate has just started (again) in the house. A few minutes ago, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy stopped by to say he had no idea how this vote would turn out. He said he thought as of earlier this a.m., it may have 50 or 51 votes. Of course, if everyone's here and everybody votes, this needs 51 to make it through. So this could be an interesting vote. The smoking stoop outside may be a crowded one.
Last night, the Conference Committee agreed to ban smoking almost everywhere in public except for on casino gaming floors (if you needed a reminder of just how powerful the casinos are in this state) and in the Iowa Veterans' Home in Marshalltown.
1205pm...The votes are in...finally. 54 yes and 45 no. Republican Linda Upmeyer of Garner said her voting machine didn't work correctly and her vote didn't register. During the voting, for a time, this bill actually failed. At one point, there were 50 no's which would have killed it. But then a few no's disappeared.
By my eye, Helen Miller of Ft. Dodge waited and waited to decide. She finally went with a yes vote. That gave the 51 necessary votes. Then a few others changed their votes from no to yes. Democrats Paul Bell of Newton and Kurt Swaim of Bloomfield both switched to the yes side. A few others must have switched, as well, but I couldn't see who they were.
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16 comments:
How fair is this system when they can keep changing their votes????
What an obsurd show of bully politics! I hope everyone, not just people against the smoking ban wake up and realize what an injustice this is. I hope Helen Miller is up for re-election this year.
I hope many are up for election this year. will there be more court cases over this like in the video play machines and how many more tax dollars spent needlessly.
I hope many are up for election this year. will there be more court cases over this like in the video play machines and how many more tax dollars spent needlessly.
Well, this version isn't as good as the Senate version. But it's still a lot better than the worthless House version of the bill. Hopefully the Senate passes this bill, and Iowa will join the 21st Century in acknowledging that second-hand smoke is a public health issue, not an issue of consumer or business rights.
-Republican non-smoker
Listen to the Senate debate live. Senator Appel needs to go also...
Time for a math and/or legislative lesson. DP's blog says the House version needed 51 votes "if everyone's here and everybody votes" -- the implication being that it would need fewer "yes" votes if fewer members were there.
It needed 51 votes -- even if only 51 voted or 68 voted or 80 voted.
We are lucky to be living in a FREE Country - ya right. What will they take away next?? Maybe alcohol, that kills too.
Well to me it sure is funny THEY will be able to reap off us smokers at the casinos's, and yet us small business owners will die out while they pad their pants with the losses from casino. WRONG !! Why couldnt we have been 1 state to do the right thing and have both smoking & non smoking bars & resturants....OUR RIGHTS
Wrong to do what they have.. Shame. The only reason for allowing casinos is again for their benefit. The next thing will be bitchin about more problem drinkers and gamblers cause you have driven them there in order to socialize with smokers. Might as well smoke pot again. Wake up and realize we have rights just as you.
It is to bad that people who are old enough to drink, cannot make the choice on their own, whether to go into a place that has smoking. There are non smoking places. Where did are freedom of choice go? Better yet "where has are freedom gone"?
It passed and it is going to become a law so - get over it!
I agree that casinos shouldn't get special treatment. However, this bill is still a lot better than having no smoking ban at all, and it's a hell of a lot better than the House version that wouldn't have changed anything. Hopefully casinos will get added to the ban next year.
This is a good first step. I can't wait to go to restaurants after July 1 and not have to put up with smoke drifting into the "non-smoking" section.
i hope those considering court action start putting their comments on here. it may then not be over yet.
All of us bars considering court actions are the same bars who have called and emailed the Reps. and Senators. Very few take the time to respond. I thank the 4 or 5 that did. I will not enforce this ban and will look forward to court action and show this is a violation of the Iowa Constitution, and besides the fact that tobacco is NOT ILLegal.And remember campers, light that campfire, smell the aroma of burning wood, but DONT light that cigerette.I am sure most of non smokers are the people on RAGBRAI doing naked beer slides, collecting beads,spending a week so drunk you forget what Iowa town you are in.
It is too bad this bunch of idiots always put we the tax payers in these lawsuit situations but they are all lawyers so I suppose they have to look out for their lively hood. It would be intersting to see how many of these politicans are connected with these cases.and the firms that are handling them. it took all these brains to get us into the mess we are in maybe time to turn it over to less educated people and have them get us out.
I wonder what the stae idiot told the boys in kosovo fight hard so we can take away a little more of your freedom back home.
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