A legislative committee approved for the first time Wednesday a bill that would ban smoking inside Pennsylvania casinos, but its vote along party lines made clear the measure is a long way from passage.

House Health Committee Chairman Dan Frankel’s proposed Protecting Workers from Secondhand Smoking Act (HB1657) was sent to the full House by a close vote with all Democrats supporting it and all Republicans opposed. Democrats have a majority in the House by a narrow margin, while Republicans who control the state Senate have yet to show any interest in expanding smoking bans.