House passes first substitute to Indoor Clean Air Act after clash over private clubs

The Utah House passed First Substitute Senate Bill 19, amendments to the Indoor Clean Air Act, by a vote of 59-16 and referred the measure to the Senate after an extended floor debate that divided members over public-health protections and private-property rights.

Representative Last, sponsor of the bill, framed the measure as primarily a health issue, saying, "For me, this is this is a health issue," and described the substitute as extending a ban to most indoor places with limited exceptions such as airport smoking rooms, designated hotel smoking rooms and workplaces where the owner is the sole employee. He urged colleagues to "vote with your heart" and argued the change would protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.

Members who supported the bill cited medical concerns and workplace risks. Representative Steve Clark demonstrated a used…