Governor Romney Says He Will Sign Smokefree Workplace Bill

MA to join CA, DE, NY, CT, and ME as nation's 6th smokefree workplace state

Parts excerpted from Associated Press, 11/22/03, smoke-free.net

A spokesman for Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said he would sign a statewide smokefree workplace bill (including smokefree restaurants and bars) when it reaches his desk.  Massachusetts lawmakers in the House and Senate passed slightly different versions and need to reconcile minor differences before sending a final bill to the Governor. 

Governor Romney says he believes smokefree workplace legislation is an important public health issue, and that people "have a right to breathe clean air and be free of secondhand smoke."

State Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian applauded the governor's support.  "We had far more than enough votes necessary to override a veto'' said Koutoujian, the House chairman of the Health Care Committee, "but it is good that the Governor is doing this."

Massachusetts will join California, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, and Maine as the nation's 6th smokefree workplace state.