Lexington, KY - On January 3, 2012, the General Assembly will gather in Frankfort to convene the annual session. The business community and industry alike stay alert, watching to see what the General Assembly will do to them, as well as what it will do for them, as evidenced by the many lobbyists swarming the halls of the Capitol.
The General Assembly will tackle challenging issues including redistricting, Medicaid managed care, a deficit budget. Those of us in Frankfort who personally know how to live within a budget will be searching for ways to streamline, trim, and spend more wisely, just as Kentucky businesses do as they figure out how to keep their doors open.
Most leaders in communities understand that a healthy business environment means a healthy economy, a healthy state budget, as well as healthy, well educated students who are prepared to make their contribution to the workforce. This "cycle of success" entices new growth and new industries that endeavor to find the healthiest communities in which to locate. What helps make a healthy community?
Some of us remember vividly when the Surgeon General of the United States notified the public in 1964 that scientific evidence had proven smoking can cause lung cancer and other life-threatening disease. It took some time, but the public found it to be heartbreakingly true as our eyes were opened to the danger of smoke. The Surgeon General of the United States has now released his findings that the science is clear; there is no safe level of secondhand smoke because it is nearly as dangerous as smoking. Many states and communities understand the gravity of these findings and are becoming proactive in their response.
In Kentucky, 34 percent of our small and large communities responded to this report by enacting comprehensive local smoke-free ordinances to protect the public and indoor workers. Now, during the 2012 legislative session, state lawmakers will be asked to fully consider a Smoke Free Kentucky Act to address the issue on a statewide basis since it has proven to be a commonsense solution to a costly and deadly problem.
This act simply requires that enclosed workplaces be smoke free, as well as enclosed public places such as shopping malls, restaurants and bars. This solution costs virtually nothing since the bill merely asks the smoker to step outside, understanding that smoking IS a legal activity. Legislators do respect that smokers have the right to smoke.
We have already seen outcomes for small and large businesses in Kentucky as they reported a reduction in health-care costs, absenteeism, and increased worker productivity after passage. In Lexington, smoking-related health-care costs were cut by $21 million a year, as reported by Joan Buchar from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, after the smoke-free ordinance went into effect.
Before voting on the Smoke Free Kentucky Act, the General Assembly members must ask some serious questions. Does this bill infringe on the rights of small business and property owners that already adhere to laws to keep the public and workforce safe? Is the state going too far when they remove the hazard of smoke from the workplace and enclosed public places? Is saving lives a public responsibility, or a personal responsibility? Is it important that the Kentucky Court of Appeals determined that the well being of the public should be safeguarded by the General Assembly? Is it true that the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from exposure of second-hand smoke is to have smokers take it outside? Does smoking and the collateral damage really have an effect on a businesses' bottom line? Who actually pays for related health-care costs of the 640,000 uninsured Kentuckians who may have health-care issues related to smoke and secondhand smoke?
After reading what Phillip Morris, the nation's leading cigarette manufacturer for the past 20 years had to say about smoking and secondhand smoke, I was ready to make my own stand. Please go to www.phillipmorris.usa to see that they agree with the Surgeon General of the United States.
The bottom line is this: We should expect our elected officials to understand their responsibilities but also the difference between dictating and protecting. At some point, it is left up to public officials to set the standards in protecting the public. The Smoke Free Kentucky Act respects the smokers' legal right to smoke but requires them not to protect themselves, but their loved ones and others who just ask for smoke-free air. This bill considers the health and well being of citizens, business and industries. We all deserve a break from taxes we pay for the expense of those who are uninsured but are not at fault for their care. It is important to find all tools available to reduce health-care costs and the price of absenteeism, so businesses that still provide a health-care benefit for their fortunate employees may continue to do so. Most importantly, we must continue to seek out solutions for a healthy Kentucky that are no-brainers, common sense and cost the taxpayers nothing to make Kentucky an enticing place for new business and people who want to stay healthier.