State Sen. Stewart Greenleaf called meetings on a proposed ban on smoking in workplaces when the Legislature gets back to Harrisburg on June 3 and 4.

Mr. Greenleaf, in a speech yesterday on the Senate floor, said "scientific and medical evidence" of the harmful health effects of secondhand smoke keeps piling up, and the Legislature must adopt a law to keep as many workplaces and public places as smoke-free as possible.

Casinos, private fraternal and social membership clubs, cigar bars, smaller taverns and tobacco processing facilities want to continue to allow smoking, but some legislators want to ban smoking to protect employees and patrons.

Another issue is whether the Legislature will adopt one smoke-free bill that applies to the whole state, or whether it will allow cities and counties to approve their own legislation, which could be stricter than state law.

Gov. Ed Rendell said this week he would veto any bill that canceled a tough smoke-free law Philadelphia adopted over a year ago, a development that has complicated the negotiation process for a House-Senate committee.