Smoking survives at bowling alleys
BOISE – Smoking and bowling will still mix in Idaho after Gov. Butch Otter on Thursday vetoed legislation to ban smoking in Idaho bowling alleys.
Otter said that House Bill 121, “imposes an unreasonable burden on private property rights.”
“I’m sorely disappointed,” said Rep. Bob Ring, R-Caldwell, a retired physician and one of the bill’s two lead sponsors. “It’s going to kill some kids. It won’t kill them this year, but it’ll kill them five years, 10 years, 15 years from now. Second-hand smoke has been proven without any doubt to cause disease, injury and premature death.”
Idaho three years ago banned smoking in restaurants and most other public places where anyone under age 21 is allowed; only bowling alleys were left out. Student bowlers from around southern Idaho came to the Legislature this year to testify in favor of the bill, saying they shouldn’t have to endure a smoky environment.
At River City Lanes in Post Falls, manager Chris Kadlec said smoking was banned in the bowling lanes three years ago and is now allowed only at the bar, which overlooks the lanes. The bowling center is smoke-free on Tuesdays. “Our open play has actually picked up dramatically,” he said.
A state association of bowling center owners didn’t oppose the bill.
The veto came as lawmakers gave up plans to end their legislative session today, extending it at least into the first part of next week. The bill had passed both houses by large margins, and no one testified against it at public hearings in two legislative committees.
Otter made reference to legislative criticisms of his grocery tax relief proposal in his bowling veto message.
“Given legislative concerns about ‘social engineering,’ particularly in regard to my proposal for targeted expansion of the grocery tax credit, in the interest of consistency it seems reasonable to conclude that such concern would extend to this legislation as well,” Otter wrote. “Social engineering by government should be of special concern when it also involves the private property rights of our citizens. HB 121 imposes an unreasonable burden on private property rights as well as legitimate and lawful business activities.”
Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, the bill’s Senate sponsor, said, “It’s an important issue and I’m disappointed; I feel bad about it.” He added, “Even the tobacco companies aren’t denying that second-hand smoke has very, very adverse consequences, and you go to a bowling center and there are children there.”
Hill, the Senate tax chairman, had spoken out against Otter’s proposed means-tested grocery tax credit on tax policy grounds, but said he didn’t think the veto was payback. Hill said he never used the phrase “social engineering,” but said, “I talked about (how) we shouldn’t set social policy with tax policy. … I just felt like social policy should be set with social services.”
In the Senate debate on amendments to the grocery tax bill, Hill called Otter’s targeted approach, which would cut the grocery credit for higher-income Idahoans while substantially increasing it for the low-income, “coercion to charity.” He told the Senate, “Let’s allow the citizens to make that decision themselves, rather than having us decide how to redistribute their money.”
Ring said Otter told him a week ago he was considering vetoing the bowling bill.
Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls, said he was disappointed by the veto. “I don’t bowl that much, but I thought, well, if they didn’t have the smoke I might bowl once in a while. The grandkids are getting old enough.”
Hill, who sponsored Idaho’s Clean Indoor Air Act three years ago and who lost a nonsmoking son to lung cancer that could have been caused by second-hand smoke, said he won’t bring the bill back again while Otter is governor unless he changes his mind.
“It doesn’t make sense to bring it up as long as the governor feels the way he feels,” Hill said.