news-record.com

RALEIGH — A week after he watched the smoking ban he pushed through the legislature get signed into law, Rep. Hugh Holliman is recovering from surgery that removed part of his lung.

Holliman, 65, has had lung cancer since 1999 and underwent a second surgical treatment in 2007. The part of Holliman’s lung that was removed was not believed to be cancerous, according to a news release from House Speaker Joe Hackney’s office.

“The reports are that he is out of surgery, resting comfortably and that the surgery was successful,” Hackney told House colleagues Tuesday.

When Gov. Bev Perdue signed the smoking ban into law last week, she likened Holliman to the “Energizer Bunny,” pushing the measure for years despite sometimes long odds. The measure applies to bars and restaurants and goes into effect Jan. 2.

The bill is considered a watershed for North Carolina, which has centuries-old roots in the tobacco trade and is the nation’s largest tobacco grower.

“This bill is not about personal property or business rights,” Holliman said during one of the many debates over the bill this year. “It’s about the right of all North Carolinians to breathe clean air.”

Holliman is the House majority leader, a high-ranking legislative position making him responsible for rounding up votes on behalf of his caucus’ agenda. Despite that position, Holliman faced as much opposition this year as in 2005 when he first introduced a related measure.

“It’s had as much debate as any bill has ever had in this body,” Holliman told his colleagues when the House gave the final legislative approval to the bill.

Still, the success came after watching the weakening of his original bill, which would have applied to virtually all workplaces in the state.

“By removing workplaces, it’s not the bill we would’ve liked to have, but maybe that’s an argument for a later day,” Holliman said during that same debate.

Rep. Alma Adams, who was a smoker for 30 years, was philosophical after hearing of Holliman’s hospitalization.

“You don’t necessarily know whether it’s related or not, but it makes you think,” Adams said.

And, she noted, Holliman’s interest in the smoking ban was personal. Not only has he had run-ins with cancer, Holliman’s sister died from the disease.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker @news-record.com