Kentucky state Rep. Susan Westrom (D-Lexington) and Sen. Julie Denton (R-Louisville) today announced plans to file separate bills in their respective chambers to create a comprehensive
statewide smoke-free law in Kentucky.
"Only 34 percent of Kentuckians live in a community with a smoke-free law," read a news release on the proposed legislation from Smoke Free Kentucky. "Due
to the overwhelming and irrefutable evidence that secondhand smoke harms
human health, coupled with strong public support, Westrom and Denton’s
bills will extend protection
from secondhand smoke to the rest of Kentucky so everyone will have the
right to breathe smoke-free air at work and in public."
The
effort has received support from Gov. Steve Beshear, who has
included a smoke-free law among his goals. In his State of the
Commonwealth address, the governor said
“During this session, I will again support comprehensive, statewide
smoke-free legislation.” In pointing out that many places are not
covered by local smoke-free laws in Kentucky, he said, “We must fill in
the map and protect all our people.”
