INDIANAPOLIS — A person caught smoking in a car with a child could one day be forced to pay thousands of dollars, if a proposed Indiana bill gets signed into law.
State Sens. Jim Merritt and Eddie Melton introduced the bill that would make smoking in a car with a child under the age of six years old a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine.
A third offense within a 12-month period would result in a $10,000 fine.
The bill has bipartisan authors, with Merritt a Republican and Melton a Democrat.
The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation lists nine states in which it is illegal to smoke with a child in a car, including Arkansas, California and Lousiana.
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