Bill to Ban Smoking in Casinos Dies
by Christine Stuart | May 6, 2008 5:11 PM
Posted to State Capitol
Earlier this afternoon the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives privately talked about a bill that would create a committee to work with the state’s two tribal casinos on a smoking ban. The Democratic caucus decided not to bring the bill up for a vote Tuesday, which disappointed the union representing 2,600 table dealers at Foxwoods casino.
Julie Kushner, assistant regional director of the United Auto Workers Region 9A, said she’s disappointed in Speaker James Amann for not letting lawmakers debate the bill in the waning hours of the legislative session. “I’m disappointed the Speaker didn’t come through on his word,” she said Tuesday afternoon.
Amann said the UAW asked him to support the bill weeks ago when the state still had a surplus. He said Tuesday that the Democratic members in the House overwhelmingly opposed it.
In addition, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said she would veto it, Amann said.
“If they want to blame someone they should blame the people upstairs,” he said referring to the Senate, who didn’t pass the bill until late last week. As a result, the bill has to sit on the House calendar for up to three days before it can be called for a vote.
“More lives will be lost,” as a result of this decision, Kushner said. She said lawmakers have an “opportunity, obligation, and responsibility to these workers.” She said no one would allow a miner to go into a mine filled with dangerous fumes, why allow table dealers to do the same.
Jack Edwards, a table dealer at Foxwoods Casino, said he has mixed emotions about what happened to the bill this year. “I’m pleased at how much progress it made and how fast it made it in this building,” he said.
Edwards said he was “thankful for the 24 senators who stood up to protect our health.”
Meanwhile, tribal leaders are afraid if the state tries to ban smoking in their casinos slot revenue will decrease at the least by 13 percent. The state shares some of those slot revenues.
Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum, chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council, wrote a letter to legislators last week asking it to stop attacking the tribe’s sovereignty by legislating a smoking ban.
“The Mohegan Tribe is ready and eager to participate in respectful government to government discussions, but we can not and will not participate in any discussions if the Legislature attempts to circumvent our Tribal Compact and threatens the essence of our Tribal sovereignty. We ask legislators, again, to set this bill aside and allow discussions to move forward,” Bozsum wrote in this letter.
Rell and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal have said they would continue to negotiate the smoking issue with the tribes.
Comments (4)
Posted by: jt | May 7, 2008 12:09 PM
like it or not, the casino's operate under separate law. i do not see how this issue even got this far. as an ex-smoker, I do not necessarily like smoke, but I respect the casino's right to allow it. you can't pick and chose when the casino's should and should not abide by state law. that ship has long since sailed!
Posted by: looped_ca | May 7, 2008 1:58 PM
You have to wonder why the dealers would want 30% of their customers to not come anymore.
It's been proven many times that there is a 30% reduction in casino revenues, and although the epidemiologists say that its a short term loss, here in Canada there has been a 4 year steady decline of revenue, and in Ontario the decline ($500 Million in 1 year alone) has been steady as well. I even notice that there has been a steady decline to "pokies" in Australia since the ban too. I guess the union has sold the members on the static statement that "bans don't create losses".
Pity the members don't actually research the issue, since it will kill their employment slowly. Here's a link.
Posted by: Karyn | May 7, 2008 5:34 PM
The Indian Nation's are a soverign nation within the USA.
There are treaties that have been in effect for hundreds of years. We should not violate them for any reason.
This would be another unenforceable law.
Posted by: dwightstreetrenter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| May 8, 2008 9:45 AM
when the casinos allowed OSHA to regulate working conditions, and allowed the State Liquor Commission to regulate the sale of alcohol at their casinos, they gave up the right to claim soverignity in this case. This was the basis of Richard Blumenthal's legal challenge to ban smoking at casinos open to the public.