State Senator Rick Kolowski of Omaha wants to ban smoking in all in-home daycares and their vehicles
Kolowski introduced his bill on Wednesday. Current state law makes commercial daycares and their vehicles smoke free all of the time.
But Kolowski's bill would close a loophole that allows smoking in in-home daycares as long as the smokers are not in the licensed part of the building, including a kitchen, dining room, bathroom or bedroom.
"This loophole needs to be closed. Children should not be subjected to toxic secondhand tobacco smoke,” Kowolski says.
According to Nebraska Health and Human Services, over 60% of all daycares in the state are in-home businesses.
“These children are in confined spaces with no ability to leave, and depending on their ages, even to speak," Kolowski says.
