SENATE BILL REPORT

                           SHB 2610

     AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES,

                       FEBRUARY 24, 1994

Brief Description:  Prohibiting tobacco products on all school grounds.

SPONSORS: House Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by Representatives L. Johnson, Talcott, Valle, Brown, Dellwo, Cooke, Cothern, Van Luven, Linville, Jacobsen, G. Cole, Shin, Pruitt, Patterson, Campbell and Brough)

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended. 

     Signed by Senators Talmadge, Chairman; Wojahn, Vice Chairman; Deccio, Erwin, Franklin, Fraser, Hargrove, McAuliffe, Moyer, Niemi, Prentice, L. Smith and Winsley.

Staff:  Richard Rodger (786‑7461)

Hearing Dates: February 23, 1994; February 24, 1994

BACKGROUND:

Presently, public school districts are required to have a written policy mandating a prohibition on the use of all tobacco products on public school property.  However, there are no similar policies for private schools, colleges universities, or vocational schools.

SUMMARY:

To protect students and the public from exposure to cancer-causing agents in environmental tobacco smoke, by January 1, 1995, each college, university, and vocational school must adopt and enforce a written policy mandating a prohibition on the use of all tobacco products in facilities, buildings, and vehicles owned or leased by the institution.

The prohibition against the use of tobaccos on public school (K-12) property is extended to private schools effective September 1, 1994.  Schools may make available tobacco cessation information and referral to students in violation of this act, in coordination with local health departments and voluntary organizations.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED COMMITTEE AMENDMENT:

The following technical corrections and clarifications are made: (1) statutory captions are removed from the sections; (2) effective dates are removed from the substantive sections and placed in a new section; and (3) an unnecessary statutory reference is deleted.

A new subsection is added allowing law enforcement officers to confiscate and destroy tobacco products from students who violate the K-12 school prohibitions.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  none requested

TESTIMONY FOR:

This bill will help protect students in private schools in the same manner as public schools.  The changes affecting colleges, universities, and vocational schools are similar to the Governor's Executive Order issued in 1988 for state agencies.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  PRO:  Representative Linda Johnson, prime sponsor; Dennis Biggs, M.D., Willa Fisher, M.D., Tobacco Free WA Coalition; Jo Wadsworth, DOH; Linda Tanz, WA Coalition on Smoking or Health; Ned Dolejsi, WA Federation of Ind. Schools; Jim Whittenburg