Indiana vendors would be required to sell only “fire safe” cigarettes, under a bill that passed a House committee and sponsored by State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary.

Brown earlier tried to get a bill passed that would have nearly banned smoking in most public places statewide, similar to the new law in Illinois. But that measure died in committee.

Brown said he is now pushing for passage of S.B. 28, which cleared the House Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee by a 10-0 vote Thursday.

The bill would require fire-safe cigarettes, which are equipped with three bands of paper. If a smoker leaves the cigarette unattended, the cigarette will self extinguish once it reaches one of those bands, known as “speed bumps.”

If the bill becomes law, Indiana would become the 23rd state to require the type of cigarette.

According to Brown, unattended cigarettes are the leading cause of residential fires and were responsible for the deaths of 26 Hoosiers in 2006.

“Adopting this legislation is a simple way to prevent these tragic accidents,” Brown said. “Fire-safe cigarette technology has been around for years, and Indiana should utilize this technology to ensure that our consumers are protected.”

A vendor caught selling cigarettes without fire-safe technology would be charged a fine of $100 per pack. Manufacturers who intentionally distribute cigarettes that are not fire-safe would be subject to a $75,000 fine.

The bill, which already passed the Senate, now moves to the full House.