March 30, 2015
“What we’re doing is protecting those who don’t have a voice,” said Rep. Henry Genga, D-East Hartford, adding that even with drivers’ windows open 2 inches, cigarette smoke still gets to young passengers.
“Second-hand smoke is devastating,” he said. Seven states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia have similar bans.
House Bill 6285 would prohibit motorists from smoking in a car if they are transporting children in car seats or booster seats. The bill contains provisions preventing police from using incidents in which they stop smoking motorists with child passengers as probable cause to search vehicles.
"What we're doing here is protecting those who don't have a voice," said Rep. Henry Genga, D-East Hartford. "These small children and their pulmonary systems cannot handle ... smoke."
