TO THE EDITOR:

I am the Senate author of the "Freedom to Breathe Act" which addresses secondhand smoke. Recently, Rep. Steve Sviggum, the former Speaker of the House, wrote a column that distorts the facts surround this issue.

This bill is bipartisan. It is authored by both Democrats and Republicans. Addressing the health and economic impacts of secondhand smoke should be nonpartisan.

The former speaker suggests that the Freedom to Breathe Act will not cover Native American casinos because of partisan politics. This is not true. The speaker is well aware that the tribes are independent nations and that the Legislature can neither exempt nor include them in state law. This deliberate omission is an old style tactic about how to win an argument at the cost of the truth.

The former speaker also implies that workers should have to accept the conditions their employers provide, even if they are harmful. The idea that employers may not want to create safe environments for their employees because of economic reasons goes to the heart of the reason unions were formed. The Freedom to Breathe Act is also about the right of employees to work in a safe environment.

The question for debate is: at which point is government required to act to limit one group's rights for another group's safety and well being? Some may believe in Rep. Sviggum's argument that one's right to do what ever they want with their property always trumps public health. In regard to secondhand smoke, the science is no longer disputed by the scientific community. There is no safe level of secondhand smoke, or method of ventilation that can protect the public and especially the worker. This justifies the state's action to eliminate secondhand smoke in all workplaces.

Currently, 11 cities and six counties in Minnesota have some type of smoke-free ordinances. I congratulate all of the businesses and communities that have led the way and shown ethical business decision making on the issue of smoke-free work environments. It is now the Legislature's obligation to level the playing field with a statewide law that protects everyone's right to breathe.

Kathy Sheran
State Senator, Dist. 23