Dem Legislation Fines Parents (Or Anyone Else) Who Smoke Tobacco In A Car When Someone Under 18 Is Present

State Rep. Sam Singh

By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

A bill introduced by State Rep. Sam Singh last week makes hundreds of thousands of Michiganders new criminals. The offense? Smoking a cig or cigar when someone under 18 is in the car. The "solution?" A $500 fine to line the government's coffers if one is caught.

Singh would give violators a year of warnings after the bill became law before tickets started...

House Bill 4672 reads:

"A person shall not possess a lit tobacco product in a motor vehicle if an individual less than 18 years of age is occupying the motor vehicle.

(2) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction and may be ordered to pay a fine of $500.00.

(3) Points shall not be assessed under section 320a for a violation of this section.

(4) For 1 year after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section, a person who violates this section shall be issued a warning, but not be cited for the violation.

(5) As used in this section, "tobacco product" means that term as defined in section 2 of the tobacco products tax act, 1993 PA 327, MCL 205.422."

This bill probably goes nowhere, but one never knows with Lansing, stay tuned...

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com 

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Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson