104
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                     HOUSE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION TO IMPLEMENT
   AND ENFORCE SMOKE-FREE ZONES IN SCHOOLS.



 1       WHEREAS, smoking and second-hand smoke present significant
 2   health risks to Hawaii's children; and
 3   
 4       WHEREAS, smoking has been positively linked to several
 5   life-threatening diseases, including lung cancer, heart
 6   disease, and emphysema, and results in millions of deaths each
 7   year from these afflictions; and 
 8   
 9       WHEREAS, the majority of smokers begin smoking before the
10   age of eighteen when social pressures are at their peak; and 
11   
12       WHEREAS, despite laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco
13   products to minors and strict mandates requiring sellers of
14   tobacco products to ascertain the age of tobacco purchasers,
15   many minors still manage to purchase or otherwise obtain
16   tobacco products; and 
17   
18       WHEREAS, student smoking is so prevalent in Hawaii schools
19   that cigarette smoke is often unavoidable for students who
20   choose not to smoke; and
21   
22       WHEREAS, in regulation of student smoking is nearly
23   nonexistent many Hawaii schools, despite more than adequate
24   evidence of widespread cigarette use; and 
25   
26       WHEREAS, effective solutions to institute and enforce a no-
27   smoking policy in schools need to be found; now, therefore,
28   
29       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
30   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
31   of 2000, that this body requests the Department of Education to
32   convene a roundtable discussion, consisting of students,
33   parents, teachers, police, ACLU representatives, Honolulu Bar
34   Association representatives, and other concerned citizens, to
35   implement and enforce a no-smoking policy in schools; and

 
Page 2                                                     104
                                  H.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education
 2   report the findings and recommendations of the roundtable
 3   discussion participants to the Legislature no later than twenty
 4   days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
 5   
 6       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 7   Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education.
 8 
 9 
10 
11                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________