Finally, Virginians will breathe free

IN A YEAR marked by low expectations and misery, state legislators sprang a pleasant surprise on Virginians Thursday in the form of a bipartisan agreement to ban smoking from most restaurants and bars.

Gov. Tim Kaine and House Speaker Bill Howell announced the compromise while surrounded by smiling Democratic and Republican lawmakers. The moment offered a satisfying contrast to previous years, when smoking bans died an ignominious death in a six-member House subcommittee.

No one tried to pretend that the deal cut this week is a perfect one. Private clubs are exempt. Restaurant owners may permit smoking if they construct a separate room with its own ventilation system.

Although diners can look forward to smoke-free meals in any restaurant of their choosing once the law goes into effect July 1, some workers still will be forced to expose themselves to second hand smoke to earn a paycheck.

But the men and women who now can look forward to a cleaner, healthier workplace far outnumber the ones still caught in the compromise's loopholes.

Hospitality representatives acknowledge that few establishments can afford the costly renovations and thousands of dollars in equipment necessary to take advantage of the exemptions.

The penalty for violations is minuscule - $25 per violation for restaurant owners and any individual caught lighting up. But restaurant owners know the vast majority of their customers support a smoking ban, and their complaints offer a stronger motivation for compliance than the slap on the wrist envisioned in the legislation.

Few issues have experienced such a dramatic reversal in fortune in a single year. A bill that could not claw its way out of a subcommittee last year is now on a rocket docket headed to the governor's desk. Kaine, Howell and other legislative leaders have agreed that no changes will be made to the agreement without their unanimous consent. That gesture of good faith reduces the ability of tobacco companies to make mischief and all but guarantees passage of the legislation.

Cynics explain the turnaround by pointing out this is an election year, and there's no doubt that public demand for clean air has changed hearts and votes this winter.

However, it is also true that political suspicions could easily have destroyed all hope of progress. Gov. Kaine and Speaker Howell deserve credit for setting their fears and rivalries aside and working together. Norfolk Sen. Ralph Northam, sponsor of the smoking ban bill, also merits a cheer for his months of hard work and his passion for good health.

And special recognition goes to Del. Chris Jones, the rock-steady, unflappable Suffolk Republican who helped forge this week's deal after assuming chairmanship of the committee that has historically killed smoking restrictions. Never a self-promoter, Jones didn't make splashy, headline-seeking promises. He worked quietly behind the scenes to build consensus and trust. That's a strategy that has served him, and all Virginians, well.