The proposal drew scant support at a recent meeting of the Nevada School Board Association’s board of directors, Churchill board member Paul Hinz said.
Bill on teen smoking meets with resistance
Feb. 20, 2006
The Churchill County School Board’s push for a bill making teen smoking illegal has drawn little interest.
The proposal drew scant support at a recent meeting of the Nevada School Board Association’s board of directors, Churchill board member Paul Hinz said.
“It was met kind of coolly by the other directors,” he said. “I was getting nowhere in getting support for our bill.”
Last month, state Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, agreed to submit a draft bill request on behalf of Fallon trustees.
While state law makes it illegal to sell tobacco to minors, the bill would make it illegal for minors to possess or use tobacco.
Hinz said directors from other school districts generally support allowing each community to enact local laws to curb teen smoking.
They also would consider a resolution in support of Fallon’s draft bill but would not lobby to get it passed, he said.
“The board of directors felt the only way the bill could pass is if it gives local authority,” he said.
But fellow board member Dave Ash said McGinness told him that state lawmakers are reluctant to cede control over smoking to local governments.
“He said it would be too tough to sell,” Ash said.
McGinness said that when a similar bill surfaced three sessions ago, it cleared the Senate but died in the Assembly.
Such bills face uphill battles at the Legislature because casinos generally oppose restrictions on smoking, he said.
The Fallon board is seeking the legislation to address problems caused by student smokers at Churchill County High School.
They gather before and after school and during breaks between classes at “Smoker’s Corner,” on property owned by the Cock N’ Bull Restaurant across from the school.
Under a 1997 agreement, the city and school district share the cost of liability insurance, and the business owner is protected from any liability claims on the land.
Fallon Police Chief Russ Brooks said citizen complaints about loitering students are sharply down since the area was designated.
The school board will consider sending a resolution to other school districts with a request for their support.
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