Connecticut Bill to Ban Smoking in Cars with Minor Children

[Factor52]

I caught a news story today on the local CT new station about a Bill in the House:

From Capitol Watch Hartford Courant: Feb 20 2013

AN ACT PROHIBITING SMOKING IN MOTOR VEHICLES WITH MINOR CHILDREN.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
That the general statutes be amended to: (1) Prohibit any person from smoking in a motor vehicle when there is a child six years of age or younger or weighing less than sixty pounds and required under subsection (d) of section 14-100a of the general statutes to be secured in a child restraint system in such vehicle; (2) create a rebuttable presumption that a person who holds a cigarette, cigar, pipe or similar device to, or in the immediate proximity of, his or her mouth while such vehicle is in motion or at rest is presumed to be smoking; (3) establish that any person found in violation of such prohibition shall be deemed to have committed an infraction, unless such person is found in violation of such prohibition for the first time during the first year after the effective date of this act; and (4) establish that any person found in violation of such prohibition for the first time during the first year after the effective date of this act shall be issued a warning.

Similar device meaning E-cigs?

 

[Dougiestyle]

IIRC Georgia enacted this same law around 2000. Violators are charged with child neglect/endangerment/abuse.

I believe it would be arguable if you were cited for using an e-cig, tho.

 

[sonicdsl]

I caught a news story today on the local CT new station about a Bill in the House:

From Capitol Watch Hartford Courant: Feb 20 2013

AN ACT PROHIBITING SMOKING IN MOTOR VEHICLES WITH MINOR CHILDREN.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
That the general statutes be amended to: (1) Prohibit any person from smoking in a motor vehicle when there is a child six years of age or younger or weighing less than sixty pounds and required under subsection (d) of section 14-100a of the general statutes to be secured in a child restraint system in such vehicle; (2) create a rebuttable presumption that a person who holds a cigarette, cigar, pipe or similar device to, or in the immediate proximity of, his or her mouth while such vehicle is in motion or at rest is presumed to be smoking; (3) establish that any person found in violation of such prohibition shall be deemed to have committed an infraction, unless such person is found in violation of such prohibition for the first time during the first year after the effective date of this act; and (4) establish that any person found in violation of such prohibition for the first time during the first year after the effective date of this act shall be issued a warning.

Similar Device meaning E-cigs?

Well, since they say state "smoking" specifically, I would say an e-cig is safe, since an e-cig has no smoke. However, I would imagine it depends on CT's definition of "smoking". Perhaps Greg or someone else at CASAA knows?

(I approve this act, btw, as I've admonished friends for years when they light up in the car w/children in it - once going so far as to stop the car until my friend threw out his cig since his 2-year-old was in the back. Having said that, I don't personally believe there's anything wrong w/an e-cig, based on the studies thus far released).

 

[Moueix]

Legislation is a poor substitute for responsibility and common sense. Unfortunately, in the face of a lack of the latter, we get the former. Smoking cigarettes in a confined space with children present is moronic, to say the least. As a smoker, I ALWAYS smoked outside the house, and never in a car with my kids.

As a vaper, again, common sense. A little volt is probably only putting out enough nic that almost all of it is absorbed by the user. Some of these magnificent steam machines that we use however, I would imagine that there is still a fair amount of nicotine in the massive vapor that is exhaled. We aren't doing ourselves any favors by allowing strangers/children to come into contact with that. Common sense, or regulation. It's partially on us.

 

[Petrodus]

Legislation is a poor substitute for responsibility and common sense. Unfortunately, in the face of a lack of the latter, we get the former. Smoking cigarettes in a confined space with children present is moronic, to say the least. As a smoker, I ALWAYS smoked outside the house, and never in a car with my kids.

As a vaper, again, common sense. A little volt is probably only putting out enough nic that almost all of it is absorbed by the user. Some of these magnificent steam machines that we use however, I would imagine that there is still a fair amount of nicotine in the massive vapor that is exhaled. We aren't doing ourselves any favors by allowing strangers/children to come into contact with that. Common sense, or regulation. It's partially on us.

To quote Elaine (Vocalek)
You would have to lip lock with someone and blow the vapor
in their mouth for them to get any nicotine!

 

[sonicdsl]

To quote Elaine (Vocalek)
You would have to lip lock with someone and blow the vapor
in their mouth for them to get any nicotine!

Funny way to emphasize the lack of detectable levels of nicotine, based on recent studies.

 

[Petrodus]

Funny way to emphasize the lack of detectable levels of nicotine, based on recent studies.

Ha-ha ...
Well, it does Scream 2nd hand vape
is nothing more than an Urban Myth !!!!!!

 

[Moueix]

Whatever the science is, we're still engaged in a war of perception. Even when it comes to setting examples of courtesy for the benefit of our children.

 

[Fury83]

Not sure of the science but I just don't vape in the car with my niece, the only minor ever in my car.

 

[dave8944]

Legislation is a poor substitute for responsibility and common sense. Unfortunately, in the face of a lack of the latter, we get the former. Smoking cigarettes in a confined space with children present is moronic, to say the least. As a smoker, I ALWAYS smoked outside the house, and never in a car with my kids.

As a vaper, again, common sense. A little volt is probably only putting out enough nic that almost all of it is absorbed by the user. Some of these magnificent steam machines that we use however, I would imagine that there is still a fair amount of nicotine in the massive vapor that is exhaled. We aren't doing ourselves any favors by allowing strangers/children to come into contact with that. Common sense, or regulation. It's partially on us.

Common sense should tell you that second-hand smoke won't harm your child more than the exhaust fumes they are exposed to daily in a car. I know kids these days have it pounded in their heads that smoking is drug use and it's all bad, but I hope someday they learn to think for themselves. If you actually read the second-hand smoke literature you'd see that most of these studies have been discredited. Many have been complete hoaxes. The rest can be discounted because of bias since most have been done by anti-smoking groups or because they used inflated probability levels which left them un-publishable, except for the fact that they fit some political agenda and got published anyway. I can imagine spending 40 years with a heavy smoker in an unventilated room could impact someone's health, but that's a rare situation. The little bit of smoke you smell in the car with the windows down isn't going to hurt anyone. Vaping is even more innocuous because there isn't even smoke. Remember, it's the combustion that causes releases all the nasty chemicals. Why should we fear inhaling trace amounts of nicotine?

 

[Bill Godshall]

Since Smokefree Pennsylvania was the first health organization to advocate legislation banning smoking in cars with children present (back in 1993), I think it important to note that the highest concentrations of secondhand smoke ever measured [i.e. particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) >2,500 ug/m3] were in automobiles.

In contrast, PM2.5 levels from secondhand smoke in smokey bars (while multiple people are smoking) typically range between 750 - 2,000 ug/m3, while PM2.5 levels in a restaurant, office or living room after just one cigarette is smoked is typically 100-200 ug/m3.

Please note that the Air Quality Index labels PM2.5 accordingly
>40ug/m3 "unhealthy for sensitive groups",
>65 ug/m3 "unhealthy",
>150 ug/m3 "very unhealthy", and
>250 ug/m3 "hazardous".
See chart on page 4 at http://www.epa.gov/pm/2012/decfsstandards.pdf

PM2.5 levels of outdoor air at several thousand of the most populated counties in the US are listed at
http://www.epa.gov/pm/2012/20092011table.pdf

More details on EPA regulation of NAAQS and the EPA's new national PM2.5 standard of 12ug/m3 at
Regulatory Actions | Particulate Matter | Air & Radiation | US EPA
and
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-06-29/pdf/2012-15017.pdf
and
http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/workshop2011/PM-NAAQS-Hassett-Sipple.pdf

 

[Factor52]

I spoke with the author of this bill, Rep Genga while we waited in line to sign up to testify on SB 990. Mr Genga seemed to have no interest in banning e-cigs, but told me that due to a clerical filing error this bill ended up getting tied into SB 990 which has a provision to Ban E-cigs in public. The measure to ban cigarette smoking in cars with minor childeren age 7 and under would pass easily. I hope the joint committee is able to recommend removing the section of the bill banning E-cigs in public. Representative Genga testified in favor or SB 990.

 

[Petrodus]

I spoke with the author of this bill, Rep Genga while we waited in line to sign up to testify on SB 990. Mr Genga seemed to have no interest in banning e-cigs, but told me that due to a clerical filing error this bill ended up getting tied into SB 990 which has a provision to Ban E-cigs in public. The measure to ban cigarette smoking in cars with minor children age 7 and under would pass easily. I hope the joint committee is able to recommend removing the section of the bill banning E-cigs in public. Representative Genga testified in favor or SB 990.

A "Clerical Filing Error" ??!! ... and no one could fix it ??!!

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

A "Clerical Filing Error" ??!! ... and no one could fix it ??!!

That would require logical thinking, remember this is the legislature.

 

[frosting]

That would require logical thinking, remember this is the legislature.

Agreed. If legislature had any "logic" they wouldn't squeeze so many bills into one day it forces the public to wait 16 HOURS just to SPEAK.

 

[Factor52]

This bill apparently quietly stayed on the committee table for this legislative session. If it was not tied into sb990 it surely would have passed.