Jump to full article: Portland (ME) Press-Herald, 2003-09-29
Author: Blethen Maine News Service
Intro: Foster parents who smoke could face new restrictions next year that will require them to shield children in their care from second-hand smoke.
A new law that took effect this month tells the Department of Human Services to write rules to regulate smoking by foster parents. By Jan. 1, the department is required to submit the rules to the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee for review.
The head of a group that represents foster families worries that the regulations will discourage families from taking in children. . .
Hoxie says most foster parents already go outside when they smoke and that the group's board of directors is hoping for a common-sense approach to the issue.
The change is the result of a bill submitted by Rep. Marie Laverriere-Boucher, D-Biddeford, a foster parent and member of the human services committee. In its original form, the bill would have forced parents to smoke only outside the home and would have prohibited them from smoking in vehicles.
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