SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 6281

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

               Transportation, February 1, 2000

Title:  An act relating to the designation of state ferries as no smoking areas.

Brief Description:  Designating ferries as "No Smoking" areas.

Sponsors:  Senators Haugen, Prentice, Costa and Oke.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Transportation:  1/27/2000, 2/1/2000 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Gardner, Vice Chair; Goings, Vice Chair; Costa, Eide, Heavey, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Morton, Oke, Patterson, Prentice, Sheahan, T. Sheldon, Shin and Swecker.

Staff:  Michelle Chase (786-7305)

Background:  Current law requires the Department of Transportation to establish and clearly designate areas on all state operated ferries that are expressly reserved for use by nonsmokers.

Summary of Bill:  All state ferries must be designated as ANo Smoking@ areas in their entirety.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Secondhand smoke is a serious health concern, particularly for children and those with asthma.  Although smoking is currently restricted to specific areas on the ferries, generally to the rear decks, these restrictions are difficult to enforce because of poor signage and announcements that are difficult for passengers to hear.  Designating ferries as no smoking areas in their entirety will eliminate ambiguity about the smoking laws, encourage compliance by passengers, and make enforcement easier.  In addition, smoking on ferries also presents serious safety concerns because smokers often discard their cigarettes overboard and the cigarettes frequently land on the lower decks where smoking is prohibited by federal law for safety reasons.  These discarded cigarettes also occasionally land on other passengers.  Smoking is often allowed on the rear decks of the ferries and when the ferries reverse direction the smoke often lingers in the areas that no longer allow smoking.  Under the Washington Clean Indoor Air Act and an Executive Order by the Governor, smoking is currently not allowed on any other form of public transportation.

Testimony For With Concerns: Concern was expressed regarding the impact of the smoking ban on ferry workers who are on board the ferries for shifts of up to 12 consecutive hours.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Donald Mohs; Debra Lacy, American Cancer Society; Meg Hagemann, Tobacco Free Kitsap County; Matthew Barry; Paul Zemann, Public Health/Seattle and King County, Washington Association of Local Public Health Officials; Terry McCarthy, Washington State Ferries (with concerns).