Pittsville Students' Bill Approved by State Senate
Wednesday, January 13th, 2016 -- 8:10 AM
(Marshfield News Herald) -A group of Pittsville second-graders who want to protect other kids from cigarette lighters that look like toys saw their efforts take a step closer to reality Tuesday when the state Senate passed the bill they helped write.In June 2009, students in Londa Kuehn's second-grade class at Pittsville Elementary School read a story in their "Weekly Reader" magazine about children mistaking novelty lighters for toys and getting hurt. One of the children's classmates was killed in a fire that might have been sparked by a lighter, and they wanted to make sure that didn't happen to another child.
The students contacted Pittsville Fire Chief Jerry Minor and asked for his help. That kicked off years of effort to get the state Legislature to pass a bill to restrict the sale of novelty lighters to minors and prohibit their display in areas that are accessible to the general public. The state Senate passed the bill Tuesday and if the Assembly also approves the Senate bill or the companion bill authored by Rep. Scott Krug, D-Rome, it will go to the governor for his signature.
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