the long drawn out fight over Banning smoking on Casino floors was punted again today by lawmakers who were scheduled to vote on a bill that would completely ban anyone from lighting up a legislative committee today heard passionate and at times tense testimony from people on both sides of the issue but despite bipartisan support the bill continues to struggle to make it to a vote Ted Goldberg is in Trenton with the latest Ted Briana the debate on Banning smoking in casinos has become two different issues entirely depending on who you ask for the folks who work in the casinos they say it's unhealthy and unfair that they have to breathe in all this smoke while they're working while others think there could be a lot of damage caused to the casinos in Atlantic City if smoking is banned I was at a funeral for a 54y old dealer on Tuesday non-smoker died of lung and thyroid cancer um so the sad stories are over the facts are in I mean there there is no debate to be had there is no compromise to be had it's been 17 years since our lives were exempt from the protection of the smokefree Air Act we what we face on a daily basis is degrading and cruel at some point in that process I was told that if I did not cut out an exemption for the casinos the bill would never passed the assembly and I realized that person was right it was a self-interest it was wrong it was horribly wrong those of us in South Jersey and Philadelphia know how short that commute is and the impact absolutely would would be there economically smokers would be traveling to live casino so timing wise in a perfect world Pennsylvania New Jersey B smoking together this is 17 years of pregnant mothers like myself who had to work in the Smoke putting had to make the impossible choice of putting their unborn children In Harm's Way just to earn a paycheck and keep their health insurance employees have to choose between their health and their paycheck to support their families is barbaric and awful fewer people will come to Atlantic City if there is a complete ban fewer people will come to Atlantic City fewer people will eat there drink there buy things stay there there will be a reduction in um jobs there will be a reduction in uh development we've evolved along way as a culture as a society where people would Smokey on a regular basis everywhere on television in restaurants in bars um maybe not in church but you know elsewhere uh but it was and now you think back at those times it seems like a thousand years ago but it wasn't if 500 jobs were laid off in the county it would have a significant impact that we're not prepared for Atlanta County unfortunately does not have a lot of economic diversification we oversee millions of dollars of chips in front of us at any given time so we we can't move we can't walk away we can't turn our head we can't wave it away we can't do anything we have to suck it up and keep on dealing I think this is an important and healthy discussion uh this is a discussion that needs to happen um I will support uh tax subsidies to support our casinos I will support economic development for construction for our casinos uh I don't I I can't mix that when it comes to smoking because I know the direct impact smoking has on people with no majority senator Joseph Vitale says it'll be another month until this Bill gets a vote prolonging The Saga between casinos and the folks who work there [Music]