Lawmakers fear it would hurt casinos
Jump to full article: Detroit (MI) Free Press, 2008-09-24
Author: DAWSON BELL * FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Intro: Concerns about the possible impact on Detroit's casinos led to the state House's narrow rejection Tuesday of a bill to ban smoking in all Michigan workplaces.
The ban -- which would affect casinos, bars, restaurants and even smoke shops -- garnered 50 votes, six short of the number needed for approval. Forty-nine members voted against it. Eleven were absent or abstained.
Opposition came primarily from Detroit lawmakers who said a ban would hurt casino revenue -- the city and state share that money -- and lawmakers who said the ban was a government overreach into citizens' lives.
The issue could be revisited later this year
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