Democratic co-chairman of the Gambling Casino Restricted License Study Committee, Wally Horn, is planning to reintroduce a bill that would create the first smoke-free casino in Iowa.
The committee met last Tuesday to hear testimonies on casino revenues. They also talked about the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, the body which approves casino licenses.
Horn, who is also a Cedar Rapids-based legislator, said for the next bill session, he would like to present clear guidelines on how they could create a smoke-free gaming facility within the state’s borders.
This isn’t the first time Sen. Horn proposed for a smoke-free casino in Cedar Rapids. He submitted a similar proposal during the 2015 legislative session. But he pulled it out after soon after.
The Senator isn’t the only one pushing for such a bill. City Mayor Ron Corbett has also been working for years for such a venue to become a reality. The truth is, it was Corbett who first pitched the idea early this year.
However, his efforts and those who have pushed for related bills failed to advance in the legislative session.
If and when the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approves the proposal for the construction of a casino in Linn County—which it rejected last year to protect other existing casinos in the area—it would be the first smoke-free gaming facility in Iowa.
But come January 11 next year, the schedule of the next state legislature convention, Sen. Horn is determined to push for his casino bill and has expressed his desire to collaborate with Brian Oharilko who is the administrator of the Commission to tackle workplace safety issues over smoking.
It would be helpful to take note that Iowa is one of the states pushing to be smoke-free. All of Iowa's non-hospitality restaurants, bars and workplaces became 100 percent smoke-free seven years ago with the exclusion of casino gaming floors (Read more at: http://www.iowasmokefreeair.gov/).
The committee met last Tuesday to hear testimonies on casino revenues. They also talked about the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, the body which approves casino licenses.
Horn, who is also a Cedar Rapids-based legislator, said for the next bill session, he would like to present clear guidelines on how they could create a smoke-free gaming facility within the state’s borders.
This isn’t the first time Sen. Horn proposed for a smoke-free casino in Cedar Rapids. He submitted a similar proposal during the 2015 legislative session. But he pulled it out after soon after.
The Senator isn’t the only one pushing for such a bill. City Mayor Ron Corbett has also been working for years for such a venue to become a reality. The truth is, it was Corbett who first pitched the idea early this year.
However, his efforts and those who have pushed for related bills failed to advance in the legislative session.
If and when the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approves the proposal for the construction of a casino in Linn County—which it rejected last year to protect other existing casinos in the area—it would be the first smoke-free gaming facility in Iowa.
But come January 11 next year, the schedule of the next state legislature convention, Sen. Horn is determined to push for his casino bill and has expressed his desire to collaborate with Brian Oharilko who is the administrator of the Commission to tackle workplace safety issues over smoking.
It would be helpful to take note that Iowa is one of the states pushing to be smoke-free. All of Iowa's non-hospitality restaurants, bars and workplaces became 100 percent smoke-free seven years ago with the exclusion of casino gaming floors (Read more at: http://www.iowasmokefreeair.gov/).