Bill > H1976

This bill, titled "To protect little lungs," aims to prohibit smoking in motor vehicles when young children are present, specifically when a child is required to be in a child passenger restraint, as defined by existing law. "Smoking" is defined in Section 22 of Chapter 270 of the General Laws, and this bill adds a new subsection to Section 7AA of Chapter 90 of the General Laws to establish this prohibition. Violators, including the driver or any passenger, will face a $100 fine. Law enforcement will be responsible for enforcement, but they cannot search a vehicle or its occupants solely based on a violation of this smoking ban. For the first 90 days after the law takes effect, law enforcement will issue warnings instead of citations for this offense. Importantly, a violation of this section cannot be used as evidence of negligence in civil lawsuits, nor will it be considered a moving violation for the purpose of increasing motor vehicle insurance premiums.