Washington – Some fresh air blew into the Capitol on Wednesday, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi banned smoking from the most venerable nicotine haven on the Hill: the Speaker’s Lobby outside the entrance to the House floor.
Pelosi, of smoke-free California, is known to detest the tobacco habit. Ever since her ascension as top Democrat with authority over the lobby, smokers have been bracing for the moment when they’d be ordered to extinguish their butts.
One of the heaviest smokers, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, was resigned to the new reality Wednesday. As majority leader in the last Congress, Boehner ignored calls to ban smoking from the Speaker’s Lobby. But now, as minority leader, he has little choice but to abide by Pelosi’s wishes and told reporters he was fine with the ban.
The Speaker’s Lobby is an ornate space dotted with fireplaces, leather armchairs and chandeliers. Lawmakers relax there between votes and debates, often meeting with staff members, reporters or the public. Cigarette smokers tended to dominate the daytime hours there; at night, the cigar smokers took over.
Pelosi said she was banning smoking from the area to protect the health of the staff, reporters and public who spend time in the lobby.
Smoking is still permitted in lawmakers’ offices, in two designated smoking rooms in the House office buildings and in a small, concrete room in the Capitol’s basement.
