Smoking in cars with kids does not mix, House committee decides

A ban on smoking in cars with passengers under age 5 was sent along to the House on Tuesday afternoon but not before three failed amendments and three no votes.

SB14, which would make smoking in a car with a child legally required to be in a car seat a secondary offense, continued its surprisingly successful, albeit rocky, path by passing the House Health and Human Services Committee. It was controversial in the Senate, and its sponsor, Sen. Scott Mccoy, D-Salt Lake, isn't expecting his child protection measure to have smooth sailing through the full House.

Last year, the bill also passed the Senate with very similar support. However, it never even made it to the floor of the House for debate.

Opponents of the bill on the committee tried to amend the bill, changing language and raising the age of the child to 12. They reiterated opinions originally expressed in the Senate debates that the measure is putting government in the undesirable position of mandating people's behavior.

Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, repeated his concern that the bill "is a slippery slope." He feared that this kind of a law could open the door to "weighing kids in school and telling parents of overwieght kids they're not doing enough to prevent obesity and diabetes."

McCoy said he understands and appreciates the philosophical questions the bill poses, "and I welcome the continued debate." But the fact is smoking in a car is an act that is harmful to the health of any occupant, not a passive act or negligible risk.

"As far as I'm concerned, if you're going to light up in that situation, you might as well reach back and slap the child."

McCoy reitereated his response to the slippery slope allegation: "The slippery slope would end wherever the majority of this body decides. It's not about smoking in the home or what might happen next. This just prevents a serious health risk to children. That's it."

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