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Some Want Changes to Smoke Free Illinois Law
(IRN)-The road to financial recovery in Illinois has to include smoking in casinos, to hear some people tell it.

The state House has approved, and sent to the Senate, a bill that would exempt the state's casinos from Illinois' nonsmoking law. Sponsoring State Representative Dan Burke (D-Chicago) says the state has missed out on more than $800 million in the three plus years since Smoke Free Illinois became law. That, he says, is because even neighboring states with nonsmoking laws do allow smoking in the casinos.

State Representative Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville) says, "We used to have 70 percent of the gaming revenue (in the St Louis market) on our side of the river. We now have eleven percent. How much longer are we going to give away our tax money?"

Opponents remind everyone that the nonsmoking law is, above all else, about workplace safety. State Representative Karen Yarbrough (D-Maywood) asks, "Why are people who work in casinos lives any less important than anybody else's?"

Burke says his bill provides for a casino to revert to nonsmoking, if the ones across the state line do so first. After the vote, Burke said he already has a Senate sponsor, State Senator Martin Sandoval (D-Cicero) and is optimistic about the bill's chances in that chamber.

HB 1965 has passed the House, 62-52.

(Source: Illinois Radio Network)
03 29 11 by Newsroom
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