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| Public Act 099-0343 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning regulation.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Child Care Act of 1969 is amended by | ||||
changing Section 5.5 as follows:
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(225 ILCS 10/5.5)
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Sec. 5.5. Smoking in day care facilities.
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(a) The General Assembly finds and declares that:
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(1) The U.S. government has determined that secondhand | ||||
tobacco smoke is a
major threat to public health for which | ||||
there is no safe level of exposure.
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(2) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently | ||||
classified
secondhand tobacco smoke a Class A carcinogen, | ||||
ranking it with substances such
as asbestos and benzene.
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(3) According to U.S. government figures, secondhand | ||||
tobacco smoke is
linked to the lung-cancer deaths of an | ||||
estimated 3,000 nonsmokers per year.
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(4) Cigarette smoke is a special risk to children, | ||||
causing between 150,000
and 300,000 respiratory infections | ||||
each year in children under 18 months old,
and endangering | ||||
between 200,000 and one million children with asthma.
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(5) The health of the children of this State should not | ||||
be
compromised by needless exposure to secondhand tobacco | ||||
smoke.
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(b) It Beginning January 1, 1994, it is a violation of this | ||
Act for any
person, on any day when the center is in operation, | ||
to smoke tobacco in any
area of a day care center in which | ||
children are allowed, regardless of
whether or not any children | ||
are present at that moment.
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(c) It Beginning January 1, 1994, it is a violation of this | ||
Act for any person
to smoke tobacco in any area of a day care | ||
home or group day care home in which
day care services are | ||
being provided to children, while those children are
present. | ||
This subsection does not prohibit smoking in the home in the | ||
presence
of a person's own children or of children to whom day | ||
care services are not
then being provided.
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(d) It is a violation of this Act for any person | ||
responsible for the
operation of a day care center, day care | ||
home, or group day care home to
knowingly allow or encourage | ||
any violation of subsection (b) or (c) of this
Section.
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(Source: P.A. 88-95.)
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||
becoming law.
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