Indiana Lawmakers Revive Talk of Smoking Ban

A new push is under way in the Indiana Legislature for a statewide smoking ban a year after the failure of a similar bill that health advocates assailed as too weak.

The bill announced Thursday by Republican Rep. Eric Turner of Cicero would prohibit smoking in most public places and workplaces, including bars. The only exemptions it includes are the gambling floors of casinos and pari-mutuel betting parlors, private clubs and cigar and hookah bars.

The House last year approved a bill that exempted bars from the smoking ban. Health advocates argued that was too great an exemption, but a Senate committee chairman argued it was needed to win Senate passage.

Turner says he believes greater public support and Gov. Mitch Daniels' support will help the broader ban this year.