Lawmaker Seeks Ban On Smoking While Driving With Small Children
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) - A Connecticut state lawmaker has proposed a measure to ban drivers from smoking with small children in the car.
State Rep. Henry Genga said he made the measure a priority after a teenager in his district called him, demanding action.
Under the measure, it would be illegal to smoke with a child 6 or younger in the car.
Genga is pushing hard for the measure, noting that the lungs in young children are not fully developed.
Lawmaker Seeks Ban On Smoking While Driving With Small Children
He said the young constituent taught him a lot when the boy went public with the cause.
" We have to listen to your young people. Sometimes, they have more common sense than adults," Genga told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.
Opponents have argued that the government should not be regulating this type of thing.
"We're wackos with some people because it's big government getting in your way," Genga told Schneidau.
But Genga argues it's a matter of children's safety, much like seatbelts.
A hearing on the measure is scheduled for this week in Hartford.
Four other states already have similar measures in place.
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