Friday, November 18, 2005

Guv's Smoking Ban Has State Workers Fuming

Gov. Daniels has imposed a smoking ban on the entire State House campus. That decision has some state workers, well, fuming. What if a state worker violates the ban? A notation may be made in your personnel file. Smokers tell WTHR they want the Governor to butt out.

The ban will not, however, apply to the state’s lawmakers. Lawmakers will still be allowed to go to a designated smoking area off the third floor balcony. Gov. Daniels hopes the legislators will nonetheless voluntarily comply with his campus-wide ban on smoking. Yeah—like that’s going to happen.

6 comments:

Jerame Davis said...

WTF? Why are the lawmakers exempted? Are they special for some reason? Are they not citizens in the employ of the state just as the other statehouse workers?

It's just more elitist BS from our chronically Republican Guv.

Anonymous said...

Jerame,

No, the legislature is a separate branch of government. The Governor has no authority over them.

Gary R. Welsh said...

I should have pointed out that there is a separation of powers issue--the Legislature as an independent branch of government gets to set its own rules, and that would certainly extend to smoking rules within the space it occupies in the State House. It does create a huge disparity on this issue between executive branch employees and the legislature conducting business in the same building.

Anonymous said...

Another fine example of what many Republicans do best, constraint the liberty of OTHERs!

Anonymous said...

I'm still a little confused about the separation of powers issue. The executive branch also lacks control over the judicial branch, but it wasn't mentioned that judges and their staff would be exempted from the ban, even though they occupy some space on the Statehouse campus. Help!

Gary R. Welsh said...

If my recollection is correct, the Supreme Court already voluntarily complies with the ban on smoking in the State House. If I am wrong, would someone please correct me.