Pennsylvania is surrounded by states that have laws banning smoking in workplaces:

New York, New Jersey and Ohio ban smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars. In Delaware and Maryland, the no-smoking laws also include gaming establishments. Even West Virginia, where each county decides such things, has anti-smoking laws in some places.

But Pennsylvania still doesn't have such laws.

Earlier this year, Allegheny County enacted a law banning smoking in bars and restaurants: It lasted for 13 hours on May 1 before the state Superior Court struck it down.

Now, as lawmakers return to Harrisburg, a coalition of interested groups is trying a new tactic to get the Legislature to reach an agreement on legislation to ban smoking in workplaces, bars, restaurants and casinos.

This week, advertisements, paid for by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and calling for a statewide law banning smoking in the workplace, have started to run in newspapers and on radio stations across the state.

"We're hoping we can do it the right way, in a comprehensive way," said Patrick Conway of the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association.

Joy Blankley Meyer, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco, said the idea of the ads is to raise public awareness about the issue.

"We're hoping community members come out and talk about how much this is needed and wanted in Pennsylvania," Ms. Meyer said.

She said the coalition wants to reach both the public and the members of the Legislature.

Currently, there are two versions of anti-smoking legislation pending. One in the House is fairly comprehensive and the other in the Senate contains more exemptions.

"If there are any exemptions, that means there are people who are not protected," Ms. Meyer said. "You shouldn't have to choose between a job and your health. You should be able to breathe air that isn't going to give you some disease."

Mr. Conway agrees: "We believe comprehensive legislation is needed to fairly protect the health of all Pennsylvanians."

He said he supports the House bill that bans smoking in restaurants, bars and casinos.

The ads point out that "84 percent of Pennsylvanians agree that all workers should be protected from secondhand smoke."

The radio spot also says that 22 states have passed smoke-free workplace laws that include restaurants and bars.

Deb Brown, a spokeswoman for the American Lung Association, said in many states, particularly in the Northeast, people just expect to go into a restaurant or bar and have it be smoke-free.

Gina Ivey, the spokeswoman for the Princeton-based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said it got involved through the state-by-state efforts of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Gov. Ed Rendell has asked the Legislature to make a smoking law a priority when members return Monday from the summer recess.