‘Freedom to Breathe’ Act Clears Minnesota Senate

House action yet to come

State Sen. Kathy Sheran, D-Mankato, entered the Minnesota Legislature just this past January. It was an experience that must have been like a bird pushed from the nest and told to fly. For she had a big act to follow — that of veteran lawmaker John Hottinger — and was given the “Freedom to Breathe” act to shepherd through the Senate. There was literally no time to warm up to her job; she was expected to take on a leadership role as a fledgling senator.

What’s perhaps most striking about her appointment to run the “Freedom to Breathe” show in the Senate is that up until Nov. 8 of last year, the day after election day, this legislation that would enact a comprehensive state indoor smoking ban was given absolutely no chance of working its way through the Minnesota Legislature to become law. Yet it’s apparent that DFL power brokers had enough confidence in the freshman senator to let her carry the bill.

Almost three months into the term, Sheran has learned that the process of moving a bill through all the committees and ultimately to the Senate floor is like running a maze. One committee will add language, another will subtract language, a third might even try to change its meaning. But the bill that passed the full Senate on Tuesday was essentially the same one that started through the legislature a little over two months ago. And the vote was not even close: 41 to 24.

more insideWhile the vote broke down somewhat along party lines, it also separated by geography. Supporting the bill were 35 Democrats and six Republicans. Opposing votes came from eight Democrats and 16 Republicans. Of the Democrats who opposed the bill, all but one were from outside the metro area.

In a brief interview before she had to dash off to a judiciary committee meeting Tuesday evening, Sheran said that the vote was a “great victory,” and that finally, 32 years after the initial passage of the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act, hospitality workers would finally be included. She added that she was uncertain as to what differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill remained, nor whether they would be essentially similar once the House version was passed. Right now, she said, the goal of its House sponsor, Rep. Thomas Huntley, D-Duluth, was simply to “keep it motion” through the House committee structure.

Meanwhile, Sheran won’t be resting. She still has numerous duties to attend to, particularly involving higher education — she’s vice chair of that committee. Ultimately, Sheran’s own “freedom to breathe” won’t come until the day after the legislature adjourns for the year.