Interesting legislative news posted on over the past few days from the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, Inc. (NATO)* and the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR)†. Below are some highlights of activity on state tobacco bills that pertain to the brothers & sisters of the leaf.
Legislative Action on State Tobacco Bills Recent action that has taken place on tobacco-related bills pending in state legislatures:
Maine: House Bill 1066 (LD1548), which increase the tax on cigars, pipe tobacco and other smoking tobacco from 20% to 47% of the wholesale price and ties future tax increases for smoking tobacco and smokeless tobacco to future tax increases on cigarettes, was reported on June 12, 2017 from the Joint Committee on Taxation with a divided report.
Nebraska: The following bills were carried over to the second regular legislative session on June 7, 2017:
Legislative Bill 438, which increases the state cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack and also increases the tax on OTP from 20% to 65% of the purchase price.
Legislative Bill 73, which increases the legal age to purchase tobacco and vapor products from 18 to 21 years of age.
Nevada: Assembly Bill 415 and Senate Bill 399 were signed into law and require that a retailer which accepts driver’s licenses or identification cards for proof of age for tobacco products must also accept a tribal identification card unless the retailer reasonably believes that federal law or other regulation requires the use of a different form of identification to verify age.
New York: Assembly Bill 273, which increases the age to purchase tobacco products from 18 years old to 21 years old, passed the Assembly Health Committee on June 15, 2017..
Rhode Island: House Bill 5820, which raises the legal minimum age to purchase tobacco products and nicotine-delivery systems from age 18 to age 21, was recommended to be held for further study by the House Finance Committee on June 7, 2017.
Newly Introduced State Tobacco Bills
Michigan: House Bill 4736, which prohibits the sale of tobacco products to persons under 21, was introduced on June 8, 2017.
Wisconsin: Senate Bill 307, which prohibits self-service displays of tobacco products except in vending machines, stores with at least 90% of revenues from tobacco product that prohibit minors from entering, and cigar rooms where minors are not allowed to enter, was introduced on June 15, 2017.
*NATO is a national trade association organized to enhance the common business interests of all tobacco retailers and to monitor and assist members in responding to tobacco-related legislation on the local, state and federal levels.
†IPCPR is a non-profit trade association representing and assisting premium retail tobacconists and their suppliers.