An indoor-smoking ban approved by the Washington, D.C., City Council has moved to Congress for consideration after Mayor Anthony A. Williams backed off a threat to veto the measure, the Washington Post reported Jan. 31.

Williams allowed the bill, which passed with a veto-proof majority, to move forward without his signature. "While I have reservations about such a ban being enacted in the District, I respect the council's decision and want to work with them over the next few months to develop a regulatory system protecting the health of employees while mitigating the risk of harm that some dining and bar establishments may face," Williams said. "It is my preference that we unite around this goal and move forward."

Congress has 30 days to review the measure; if it takes no action, the bill automatically goes into law. The law would initially ban smoking in indoor workplaces and restaurants, expanding to bars and nightclubs next January.

Williams said that conversations with other big-city mayors who had smoking bans in place helped convince him that businesses would not suffer. "He did the right thing under the circumstances, because the votes were not there to sustain a veto," said council member Carol Schwartz (R-At Large), the sole opponent to the bill on the panel. "I tried every conceivable compromise, but my colleagues had already committed to the strong smoke-free lobby, which made even reasonable compromise impossible."