PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

No one may allow smoking inside indoor places used for regular kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools or libraries for children after January 8, 2002. The same ban applies to indoor places used for routine health care, day care, or early childhood education. Two exceptions are allowed: parts of a facility used for inpatient hospital treatment of people dependent on or addicted to drugs or alcohol, and private homes. Federal agencies must follow the same rules for facilities they run or contract for. The Secretary will publish a notice of the ban in the Federal Register, and the ban starts 90 days after that notice or 270 days after January 8, 2002, whichever comes first. If someone breaks the rule, they can face a civil penalty up to $1,000 for each violation, and each day counts as a separate violation. Total penalties in a year cannot exceed 50 percent of the Federal funds that person received under this law that fiscal year. The Secretary can also issue an order to make someone comply. Before a penalty or order is final, the Secretary must send a written notice by certified mail and give the person a chance to request a hearing within 30 days. The Secretary will consider how serious the violation was, efforts to comply, ability to pay, prior history, and similar factors when setting penalties. The Secretary can reduce or change penalties and may deduct the penalty from money the United States owes the person. A person can ask a federal appeals court for review within 30 days after the Secretary’s final decision. If the person still won’t pay or comply, the Attorney General can go to court to collect the penalty or enforce the order, with interest at prevailing rates from the day the penalty became final.

Title 20, §7973

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Prohibition

After January 8, 2002, no person shall permit smoking within any indoor facility owned or leased or contracted for, and utilized, by such person for provision of routine or regular kindergarten, elementary, or secondary education or library services to children.

(b)Additional prohibition

(1)In general

After January 8, 2002, no person shall permit smoking within any indoor facility (or portion of such a facility) owned or leased or contracted for, and utilized by, such person for the provision of regular or routine health care or day care or early childhood education programs.

(2)Exception

Paragraph (1) shall not apply to—

(A)any portion of such facility that is used for inpatient hospital treatment of individuals dependent on, or addicted to, drugs or alcohol; and

(B)any private residence.

(c)Federal agencies

(1)Kindergarten, elementary, or secondary education or library services

After January 8, 2002, no Federal agency shall permit smoking within any indoor facility in the United States operated by such agency, directly or by contract, to provide routine or regular kindergarten, elementary, or secondary education or library services to children.

(2)Health or day care or early childhood education programs

(A)In general

After January 8, 2002, no Federal agency shall permit smoking within any indoor facility (or portion of such facility) operated by such agency, directly or by contract, to provide routine or regular health or day care or early childhood education programs to children.

(B)Exception

Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to—

(i)any portion of such facility that is used for inpatient hospital treatment of individuals dependent on, or addicted to, drugs or alcohol; and

(ii)any private residence.

(3)Application of provisions

The provisions of paragraph (2) shall also apply to the provision of such routine or regular kindergarten, elementary or secondary education or library services in the facilities described in paragraph (2) not subject to paragraph (1).

(d)Notice

The prohibitions in subsections (a) through (c) shall be published in a notice in the Federal Register by the Secretary (in consultation with the heads of other affected agencies) and by such agency heads in funding arrangements involving the provision of children’s services administered by such heads. Such prohibitions shall be effective 90 days after such notice is published, or 270 days after January 8, 2002, whichever occurs first.

(e)Civil penalties

(1)In general

Any failure to comply with a prohibition in this section shall be considered to be a violation of this section and any person subject to such prohibition who commits such violation may be liable to the United States for a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $1,000 for each violation, or may be subject to an administrative compliance order, or both, as determined by the Secretary. Each day a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation. In the case of any civil penalty assessed under this section, the total amount shall not exceed 50 percent of the amount of Federal funds received under any subchapter of this chapter by such person for the fiscal year in which the continuing violation occurred. For the purpose of the prohibition in subsection (c), the term “person”, as used in this paragraph, shall mean the head of the applicable Federal agency or the contractor of such agency providing the services to children.

(2)Administrative proceeding

A civil penalty may be assessed in a written notice, or an administrative compliance order may be issued under paragraph (1), by the Secretary only after an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with section 554 of title 5. Before making such assessment or issuing such order, or both, the Secretary shall give written notice of the assessment or order to such person by certified mail with return receipt and provide information in the notice of an opportunity to request in writing, not later than 30 days after the date of receipt of such notice, such hearing. The notice shall reasonably describe the violation and be accompanied with the procedures for such hearing and a simple form that may be used to request such hearing if such person desires to use such form. If a hearing is requested, the Secretary shall establish by such certified notice the time and place for such hearing, which shall be located, to the greatest extent possible, at a location convenient to such person. The Secretary (or the Secretary’s designee) and such person may consult to arrange a suitable date and location where appropriate.

(3)Circumstances affecting penalty or order

In determining the amount of the civil penalty or the nature of the administrative compliance order, the Secretary shall take into account, as appropriate—

(A)the nature, circumstances, extent, and gravity of the violation;

(B)with respect to the violator, any good faith efforts to comply, the importance of achieving early and permanent compliance, the ability to pay or comply, the effect of the penalty or order on the ability to continue operation, any prior history of the same kind of violation, the degree of culpability, and any demonstration of willingness to comply with the prohibitions of this section in a timely manner; and

(C)such other matters as justice may require.

(4)Modification

The Secretary may, as appropriate, compromise, modify, or remit, with or without conditions, any civil penalty or administrative compliance order. In the case of a civil penalty, the amount, as finally determined by the Secretary or agreed upon in compromise, may be deducted from any sums that the United States or the agencies or instrumentalities of the United States owe to the person against whom the penalty is assessed.

(5)Petition for review

Any person aggrieved by a penalty assessed or an order issued, or both, by the Secretary under this section may file a petition for judicial review of the order with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit or for any other circuit in which the person resides or transacts business. Such person shall provide a copy of the petition to the Secretary or the Secretary’s designee. The petition shall be filed within 30 days after the Secretary’s assessment or order, or both, are final and have been provided to such person by certified mail. The Secretary shall promptly provide to the court a certified copy of the transcript of any hearing held under this section and a copy of the notice or order.

(6)Failure to comply

If a person fails to pay an assessment of a civil penalty or comply with an order, after the assessment or order, or both, are final under this section, or after a court has entered a final judgment under paragraph (5) in favor of the Secretary, the Attorney General, at the request of the Secretary, shall recover the amount of the civil penalty (plus interest at prevailing rates from the day the assessment or order, or both, are final) or enforce the order in an action brought in the appropriate district court of the United States. In such action, the validity and appropriateness of the penalty or order or the amount of the penalty shall not be subject to review.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was classified to section 7183 of this title prior to renumbering by Pub. L. 114–95.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 114–95, § 4001(a)(1)(A), substituted “early childhood education programs” for “early childhood development (Head Start) services”. Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 114–95, § 4001(a)(1)(B)(i), substituted “education programs” for “development services” in heading. Subsec. (c)(2)(A). Pub. L. 114–95, § 4001(a)(1)(B)(ii), substituted “education programs” for “development (Head Start) services”. Subsec. (e)(3)(C). Pub. L. 114–95, § 4001(a)(1)(C), added subpar. (C) and struck out former subpar. (C) which was missing an opening parenthesis before the subpar. designation and read as follows: “such other matters as justice may require.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.

§7973 Nonsmoking Policy for Children’s Services