Fitzsimon File

State lawmakers have a chance to make some significant progress this session in creating a healthier North Carolina, despite the state's massive budget problems.

It is important for budget writers to find the money to protect Medicaid, fully fund Health Choice to provide care for children, and invest in services for the mentally ill and people with disabilities, but there are plenty of health initiatives that don't require money.

House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman's proposal to ban smoking in bars, restaurants and worksites would be a good place to start. Holliman's smoking ban fell short in the House last session in the face of opposition from tobacco companies, restaurants, and property rights advocates who claimed that government should not be allowed to regulate a private business.

Government already enforces plenty of health and safety regulations in private businesses of course, from electrical codes to food inspections. And Holliman's bill is ultimately a health and safety regulation too, protecting workers, customers and clients from the deadly effects of second hand smoke.

Several things that have changed since last session that makes it more likely the smoking ban will pass this year. Officials with the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association said recently the group will no longer lobby against the ban and will remain neutral.  House Minority Paul Stam, a leading opponent of Holliman's bill last session, said last month that he would consider supporting a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.

This week brought more evidence that the public supports the legislation too. A survey by Public Policy Polling found that 64 percent of voters in the state support a statewide smoking ban and 34 percent oppose it.  Most major newspapers have endorsed the ban, including the Winston-Salem Journal in the hometown of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco.

That leaves only the tobacco industry and the market fundamentalist think tanks who keep miscasting the issue as an ideological battle over the reach of government. It is a public health measure pure and simple and 30 states have already realized that and passed some version of a smoking ban. 

Lawmakers can also improve public health by passing the Healthy Families and Healthy Workplaces Act that would guarantee sick days for all workers to care for themselves or family members. Almost half the state's workforce has no paid sick days, including almost four out of every five workers in the food service and lodging industries.

That means many workers with infectious diseases can't afford to stay home, putting coworkers and the public at risk. Productivity increases when sick employees are not forced to come to work, and health care costs and staff turnover go down for businesses that provide paid sick leave.

Both proposals seem like an easy call for lawmakers concerned about the health of the constituents they serve. There is compelling evidence that the smoking ban saves lives and that paid sick leave protects people from diseases and improves a businesses bottom line.

Hard to be against that.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 at 3:26 pm and is filed under Fitzsimon File. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.