HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	114
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the hawaii public housing authority to document violations of The prohibition on smoking in and around public housing.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Surgeon General of the United States has declared that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that breathing even small amounts of secondhand smoke can be dangerous; and

 

     WHEREAS, "thirdhand smoke" is generally considered to be the residual nicotine and other chemicals left on a variety of indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke; and

 

     WHEREAS, residue from thirdhand smoke builds up on surfaces over time, resists routine cleaning, and cannot be eliminated by airing out rooms, opening windows, using fans or air conditioners, or confining smoking to only certain areas of a home; and

 

     WHEREAS, thirdhand smoke residue is thought to react with common indoor pollutants to create a toxic mix that contains cancer-causing substances, which poses a potential health hazard to nonsmokers who are exposed to it, especially children; and

 

     WHEREAS, Act 91, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014, enacted a prohibition on smoking in and around public-housing projects, state low-income housing projects, and elder or elderly households in an effort to provide smoke-free environments for families; and

 

     WHEREAS, violators of the prohibition established by Act 91, codified as section 356D-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, may negatively affect the health of subsequent tenants and guests of public housing projects, state low-income housing projects, and elder or elderly households due to the dangers associated with thirdhand smoke; and

 

     WHEREAS, violations of section 356D-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, should be factored into the Hawaii Public Housing Authority's decisions to grant or deny lease extensions or enter into new lease agreements with violators of the smoking prohibition; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, the Senate concurring, that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is requested to document violations of the prohibitions in section 356D-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is requested to permanently retain this documentation in a resident's record for the Authority to consider when it evaluates whether to continue any existing lease agreement or to enter into any new lease agreement with the resident; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and the Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Thirdhand smoke; Hawaii Public Housing Authority