THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	14
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF the attorney general TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF CIGARETTE FIRE SAFETY STANDARDS ESTABLISHED IN OTHER STATES.

     WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that cigarettes are the leading cause of fire deaths in the nation; and

     WHEREAS, each year, seven hundred to nine hundred people are killed in the United States due to cigarette fires, and three thousand are injured in fires ignited by cigarettes; and

     WHEREAS, a high proportion of the victims of cigarette fires are non-smokers, including senior citizens and young children; and

     WHEREAS, cigarette-caused fires result in billions of dollars in property loss and damages in the United States and thousands of dollars in this State; and

     WHEREAS, in Hawaii, for the three-year period of 2003-2005, there were two hundred sixteen cigarette-caused fires, resulting in $283,570 in property damage and three civilian injuries; and

     WHEREAS, in addition, cigarette fires unnecessarily jeopardize firefighters and result in avoidable emergency response costs for Hawaii's county fire departments; and

     WHEREAS, the Legislature further finds that the state of New York enacted a cigarette fire safety regulation, effective June 28, 2004, which requires that cigarettes sold in that state meet a fire safety performance standard; and

     WHEREAS, in 2005, the states of Vermont and California signed into law cigarette fire safety acts that directly incorporate New York's regulation into statute, and in 2006, the states of Illinois, New Hampshire, and New Jersey did the same; and

     WHEREAS, Canada implemented the New York fire safety standard as of October 2005, becoming the first nation to have a cigarette fire safety standard; and

     WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that New York's cigarette fire safety standard is based upon decades of research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, congressional research groups, and private industry; and

     WHEREAS, the Legislature further finds that the State of Hawaii could benefit from comparable cigarette fire safety standards to reduce the likelihood that cigarettes will cause fires and result in deaths, injuries, and property damage; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to study the impact of cigarette fire safety standards established in other states and Canada; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of the Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Health, the Department of Taxation, and the State Fire Council, is requested to determine how these standards could be adopted in Hawaii, with a minimum of cost to the State, and with minimal burden to cigarette manufacturers, distributors, and retail sellers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature not later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2008; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Attorney General, Director of Health, Director of Taxation, and Chair of the State Fire Council.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Fire Safety; Cigarettes; Attorney General Study