COLORADO TAVERNS' HOPES GO UP IN SMOKE
A proposal that would have allowed Colorado's bars and taverns to
sidestep the state's stringent anti-smoking laws, enacted last
year, failed in a Senate committee Monday afternoon.
After the testimony of nearly 20 Colorado bar owners, the Senate
State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee struck the measure
down by a 3-2 vote.
The bill, backed by Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, would have
allowed bar owners to purchase special liquor licenses for an
additional $500 to allow smoking in their business. . . .
"Many of these mom-and-pop businesses have gone out of
business," Tochtrop said. "They cannot keep their business going
because they cannot keep all of their customers."
The bill would also have prohibited local governments from
setting up more stringent anti-smoking measures than those set
out in the "Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act," which banned smoking
starting last July.
Despite the testimony of numerous bar owners and operators,
committee members said they were reluctant to temper the smoking
ban.
Sen. Peter Groff, D-Denver, said the bill passed last year was
unevenly applied and for that reason he looked forward to
narrowing the law's exemptions and not diluting the ban itself.
