In February of this year, a bill was filed with Sen. Ira I. Silverstein. This bill proposed to stop the act of smoking in enclosed vehicles when minors under the age of 18 were present. It went through the committee of Public Health and passed on to the Senate. However, at the third reading, it only received eight votes out of the needed thirty-two and therefore, was not passed.

The official bill said that no one could be pulled over solely because they were smoking, and if a person was convicted, the consequence would have been a fine of less than a hundred dollars. Also, a convertible with the top down did not count towards this bill because it is not an enclosed vehicle. These stipulations seem reasonable so one must ask why such a bill was made, and why it didn’t pass.

The answer is simple really. According to the Center for Disease Control, secondhand smoke can cause major health problems in developing children. Therefore, a minor’s exposure to secondhand smoke should be minimized as much as possible. The proposed bill would remove children from a situation that could cause them harm. Studies show that children whose parents smoke get bronchitis and pneumonia more often as well as being more susceptible to asthma attacks than children who aren’t exposed to secondhand smoke. These findings, as well as the fact that most secondhand smoke is invisible and remains in the vehicle for longer than one would think give the bill a reasonable argument.

However, many of the senators thought that the law would allow more racial profiling to occur. Due to the possible repercussions from the racial community and the proposed fact that what happens in one’s car should be one’s own business, the bill did not pass. There are, however, similar laws in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Maine, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont as well as in England and Wales.

Despite the bill not passing, the effects of secondhand smoke should remain a concern for parents and guardians of children, and precautions should be taken when smoking around children.