Sen Lynch on State Wide No Smoking Bill

01/26/2007

‘Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007’ introduced


“The Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007,” which would eliminate smoking in indoor workplaces and on public transit has been introduced in the Minnesota Senate. State Senator Ann Lynch (DFL-Rochester) said if the Act is signed into law, Minnesota will join Washington D.C. and 16 other states that have laws requiring 100 percent smoke-free workplaces, restaurants and bars.

“This is a health issue,” Sen. Lynch said. “The U.S. Surgeon General has announced that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke. Last year 49,000 non-smokers died from second-hand smoke. A poll last December showed that 81 percent of Minnesotans viewed secondhand smoke as a health hazard.”

Currently, 11 cities and six counties in Minnesota have some type of smoke-free ordinances, including Olmsted County. Support for a statewide smoke-free law is strong in every region of Minnesota. A December 2006 poll found that nearly 70 percent of Minnesotans support a comprehensive statewide smoke-free law that includes bars and restaurants.

Smoke-free policies improve health and have positive economic benefits for business. Smokers have twice the lost production time per week for personal health reasons than workers who never smoked – at a cost of $27 billion to U.S. employers.

Excluded under the bill are: scientific study participants in a specified room; traditional Native American ceremonies; “private places” such as homes and vehicles when they are not used as a place of employment; hotel and motel rooms; and tobacco product shops when the customer is sampling something prior to purchase.

“This is a comprehensive bill that will provide clean air for everyone,” Sen. Lynch said. “Secondhand smoke is a threat to public health and costs Minnesotans almost $2 billion dollars annually in health care. Moving to smoke-free workplaces is the right direction to take.”

Anyone with comments or questions about the Freedom to Breathe Act can contact Sen. Lynch at G-24 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, or 651-296-4848.