H2443 • 2025

An Act to protect little lungs

Children

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: James K. Hawkins
Last action: 2026-03-16
Official status: Accompanied a study order, see H5234
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to protect little lungs

An Act to protect little lungs By Representative Hawkins of Attleboro, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

An Act to protect little lungs By Representative Hawkins of Attleboro, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
2443) of James K.
Hawkins for legislation to prohibit smoking in motor vehicles in which young children are passengers.
Public Health.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-16 House
Accompanied a study order, see H5234
2025-07-14 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 07/14/2025 from 01:00 PM-06:45 PM in A-1 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
2025-07-14 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 07/14/2025 from 01:00 PM-06:05 PM in A-1 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
2025-07-03 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 07/14/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1
2025-02-27 House
Referred to the committee on Public Health
2025-02-27 Senate
Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act to protect little lungs
By Representative Hawkins of Attleboro, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2443) of James K. Hawkins for legislation to prohibit smoking in motor vehicles in which young children are passengers. Public Health.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Bill H.2443

Section 7AA of Chapter 90 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following subsection at the end thereof:

(1) No person or persons shall be allowed to smoke, as defined in Section 22, Chapter 270 of the General Laws, in a motor vehicle in which a child is required by the provisions of this chapter to be secured by a child passenger restraint.

An operator or passenger of a motor vehicle who violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine of $100.

Law enforcement agencies shall enforce the provisions of this section. A law enforcement officer may not search or inspect a motor vehicle, its contents, the driver, or a passenger solely because of a violation of this section. For a period of 90 days following the effective date of this act, any law enforcement official who stops a motorist solely because of a violation of this section shall not issue a citation but shall issue a verbal or written warning.

A violation of this section shall not be used as evidence of contributory negligence in any civil action.

A person who receives a citation for a violation of any of the provisions of this section may contest such citation pursuant to section three of chapter ninety C. A violation of this section shall not be deemed to be a conviction of a moving violation of the motor vehicle laws for the purpose of determining surcharges on motor vehicle premiums pursuant to section one hundred and thirteen B of chapter one hundred and seventy-five.

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