During his tenure, he was appointed as an Employee Support Services Representative for the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 245.
[3] On June 17, 1997, Basham won a special election and became a member of Michigan House of Representatives.
It was while Basham was working at Ford Motor Company that he first became aware of the issue of second-hand smoke.
Mounting evidence, such as food service workers are 50 percent more likely than the general population to develop lung cancer and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified second-hand smoke as a Group A carcinogen, drove Basham to action.
[citation needed] Basham has championed smoke-free legislation since he was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1997, and has continued that quest in the Senate.