GSB delays smoking resolution
October 17, 2000
The Government of the Student Body has delayed the vote on two resolutions about the proposed Ames smoking ban until the senators can consider a final draft of the Ames City Council bill.
This will be the third week in a row that the smoking ban resolutions won’t be voted on at the GSB meeting. Voting on the resolutions – one for the ban and one against the ban – has been pushed back so senators could consult their constituents and review the city council bill.
Now the resolutions are undergoing amendments until the senators and the students know what types of establishments are going to be affected by the ban.
GSB senators want the final draft of the ban because they want to know if the ban will affect only Ames restaurants or if it will include restaurants and bars, said William Tinder, Richardson Court Association.
Tinder said the lack of clarity surrounding the city council’s proposed ban prompted the delay, while amendments to the supporting resolution are being considered. “We amended the bill that is in support of the smoking ban to say that we are for the ban in restaurants only,” he said.
GSB President Ben Golding said the senate is not going to move on the bill until the Ames City Council does because he said the Ames city attorney has not finished drafting the legislation.
“As soon as the city attorney gets the official copy done, we’ll decide where we want to stand on the issue,” he said.
Golding said there is a chance the final draft could be done before Nov. 14., and the issue will be reintroduced to the senate floor at that time.
Instead, Golding said, GSB senators and executive members are devoting most of their time and energy to the fight against the tuition increase proposed by the Board of Regents. On Thursday, the regents will decide whether to raise tuition by almost 10 percent.