Department of Public Health officials plan for public input on the rules, to be used as written for some time to enforce the ban, which goes into effect July 1. The Iowa Smoke Free Air Web site will soon feature a tool by which visitors can submit comments on the rules. This function will be available by June 15th and will remain active until the formal public comment period ends August 6th. The rules may be amended based on the additional comments — but any significant changes, such as an exemption for, say, indoor smoking in bars, would require legislative action.

As reported earlier by Iowa Independent, the draft rules, crafted with the intent of lawmakers in mind after after collaborative sessions involving the attorney general’s office, permit smoking on outdoor patio area of bars but not restaurants. The distinction between bars and restaurants is generally clear, but in the gray areas, the IDPH says “bars” serve food that is pre-packaged and “incidental” to the business, and cannot make and sell food from scratch if a smoking patio is desired.

One provision that is sure to spark some controversy is that no distance requirement from doors are in place for outdoor smoking as in other places, such as Washington State.

Casino gaming areas (but not stand-alone bars), 20 percent of rooms in hotels, the Iowa National Guard, the state’s Veterans Home and private residences are exempted from the ban.

Public health officials in the rules and in interviews with Iowa Independent have said the law is intended to be implemented largely through voluntary compliance and education. But the rules do say the IDPH may refer complaints regarding the law to “designated law enforcement authorities.”

One element of the ban that may strike some as unnecessary — since indoor public smoking is virtually eliminated — is that all public places and places of employment where smoking is not allowed must post non-smoking signs that can be downloaded at the Smokefree Air Act Web site.

King earlier this month said if Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama were elected president, Al-Qaeda would be “dancing in the streets.” Rosenberg said a commissioner found King’s remarks distasteful.

“Our commissioners were following the story in the media about Congressman King’s comments regarding presidential candidate Senator Obama, and they were wondering what role the commission should have, if any, about that kind of speech,” said Ralph Rosenberg, the commission’s executive director.

The commission will discuss how to address such statements, whether it should take a position, what the position should be and how to communicate it. The commission will meet from 3:30 to 5 p.m. today at the Grimes State Office Building in Des Moines.

“It raised a larger issue: What do you do when an elected official from Iowa says something that you disagree with that it appears has some civil rights or human dignity context? What’s our role?” Rosenberg said. “Do we respond to everything a politician says that we disagree with?”

Rosenberg said he was unsure if the commission will take a vote on the issue.

Commission Chairwoman Alicia Claypool said in an e-mail: “This is an open discussion as nothing specific has been suggested for what form a response might take.”

Gov. Chet Culver called for King to retract his statements.