AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Cyclist Lance Armstrong joined forces with anti-smoking groups — urging Texas lawmakers to pass a statewide ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and other indoor work and public place.
Armstrong battled back from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain to win the Tour de France seven times.
Outside the state Capitol Thursday, he pledged that his comeback would take his cancer awareness campaign with him around the world. That included the stop at the Texas Legislature, where a similar anti-smoking measure failed two years ago.
According to the Smoke-Free Texas coalition, secondhand smoke kills 53,000 nonsmoking Americans every year and is a known cause of lung cancer, heart disease, low birth weight and chronic lung ailments.
Two dozen states have already enacted some smoke-free laws with 14 others considering them, the group says. Last week, College Station became the 28th Texas city to pass a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance.