Fresh Air Under the Dome

Getting rid of the smoke-filled room

LAST MONTH, The Hill newspaper reported that incoming House Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) is pushing to ban smoking in the ornate Speaker's Lobby, a room just off the House floor that is regularly clouded with smoke when Congress is in session. It is one of many venues legislators continue to reserve for lighting up in the Capitol -- despite the proven benefits of smoking bans in workplaces across the country. Last week, The Post's Lyndsey Layton reported that House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is considering Mr. Waxman's idea; her support would probably be critical to getting a ban past the House Office Building Commission.

The Speaker's Lobby is not just a favorite hangout for legislators blowing smoke rings; it is also a work space for staff members and, yes, journalists trying to get them on the record. So Mr. Waxman's ban would make workdays much healthier for the staffers, pages and reporters who don't have much choice about congregating there, as well as for members themselves.

Come Jan. 2 smoking will be banished from Washington's bars and restaurants. It's already forbidden in federal buildings outside of the Capitol. It's time Congress brought its own workplace rules into the 21st century.