A bill has been introduced in the Indiana State Senate that would make it illegal to smoke inside a vehicle while children under six are inside.
The bill, introduced by Republican State Senator Jim Merritt, says the bill may be “unenforceable”, but he says it’s the principle that children should not be exposed to second-hand smoke.
“Smoking is a danger to yourself as well as others, and to be riding along in a car and getting second-hand smoke is just not acceptable for anyone but more so for children who just don’t have a choice,” says State Sen. Merritt.
The cut-off of six-years-old is just an initial age that he and his staff came up with when writing the bill and that the age may be changed as he works with other state lawmakers to pass the bill.
“I want to say to mom and dad this is not right,” says Sen. Merritt.
The bill says the first offense would be a Class B infraction, which would be up to a $1,000 fine. The third offense during a 12-month period would be a Class A infraction which would be up to a $10,000 fine.
The bill now goes before a Senate committee for review.
Merritt announced his candidacy for Mayor of Indianapolis last week.
