Smoking Ban Deal Still Discussed by Michigan Lawmakers

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Michigan lawmakers had not reached deals to ban smoking in restaurants and bars or change the rules for pricing individual health insurance policies as their 2007-08 session neared an end on Thursday, Dec. 18.

Both issues have been the subject of hot debate at the Capitol for much of the past two years. But lawmakers had not found compromises on either topic as the clock ticked down toward adjournment of the Michigan Legislature’s two-year session.

Thursday’s meetings could be the last of the session. Lawmakers were poised to stay late into the night and could come back next week if legislative leaders decide they are close enough to key deals to reconvene.

Bills not passed by the end of the year die and must be reintroduced once the new Legislature convenes in January. The 110-member House will have 46 new members while the current 38-member Senate will return intact.

About 30 states already have passed some type of workplace smoking ban. Supporters of a ban in Michigan have been working on it for a decade.

But efforts hit a wall when the Democrat-led House passed a ban that would exempt casinos and smoke shops while the Republican-led Senate passed a complete ban without exemptions.

Efforts to find a compromise were continuing late Thursday. The latest discussions Thursday between key Republican and Democratic lawmakers focused on possibly phasing in the smoking ban over a multiyear period for all businesses, including casinos and smoke shops.

“We realize it’s an issue a lot of our constituents want to see resolved,” said Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester. “There is a drive to get it done. I’m certain this is an issue that will come back to us.”

It might not come back until next year, though, if a compromise isn’t reached soon. Bishop huddled face-to-face with House Speaker Andy Dillon, a Democrat from Wayne County’s Redford Township, for 25 minutes on Dec. 18 discussing possible last-minute votes.

Lawmakers also struggled to find a compromise on legislation that would change laws guiding the market for people who buy their own health insurance because they aren’t covered by employer or government plans.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan wants changes in state law to help prevent what it says are mounting financial losses in the individual market. Blue Cross also wants permission for its subsidiary, The Accident Fund, to expand into other types of business besides workers’ compensation coverage.

The legislation’s opponents, including Attorney General Mike Cox, say it’s a power grab by the Blues that would hurt consumers.

“I’m not going to pull the plug on that entirely, but I do believe it’s going to be difficult to get done this year,” Bishop said.