New House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday a new smoke-free policy for the Speaker’s Lobby, a meeting area near the Floor of the House of Representatives. Speaker Pelosi’s historic action follows a nation-wide trend toward making workplaces smoke-free.
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) and newpapers across the nation reported on this story:
“As Members of Congress, we must be held to a higher standard,” Pelosi said in a statement. “We can no longer risk the health of colleagues, staff, pages, reporters and others who pass through the Speaker’s Lobby each day.”
According to the ANR, more than half of the U.S. population lives in areas where local or state laws ensure smoke-free workplaces and public areas. They say more than 577 municipalities and 22 states now have smoke-free workplace laws.
