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• Indiana House bill allows bars 18-month delay on smoking ban 

The Indiana House voted today to exempt bars from a proposed statewide smoking ban for 18 months.

Rep. Eric Turner, R-Cicero, and Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, go authored House Bill 1149. They believe the change will give bars more time to adapt to a smoke-free atmosphere, and they both say the change could make the bill more palatable to the General Assembly.

The House can vote on the bill as soon as Monday. After that, it would be considered in the Senate. If approved, the ban would begin upon passage. Bars would be included 18 months later.

Other exemptions include certain gaming facilities, cigar and hookah bars, retail tobacco stores, and private clubs. And in another change today, bars in the "footprint" -- meaning "adjacent to" -- certain gaming facilities also would be exempt, as would cigar-manufacturing facilities.

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