Each week we list all the legislation in one easy to find place. This week brings stories from Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and New Mexico. Adams, MA – The Board of Health last week agreed to update all the town’s tobacco regulations during the process of increasing the legal age of buying tobacco from 18 to 21. The new measure doesn’t come as a new regulation; but rather an amendment to […]
Each week we share the most recent happenings in local legislation with a Friday posting. This is what is happening around the United States for January 23-29, 2016. Berkeley, CA – On January 26th, The City Council voted to raise the smoking age to 21, following in the footsteps of more than 110 municipalities across the nation, including New York City and Boston. West Plains, MO – On April 5, 2016 voters in West Plains, MO will vote on whether or not […]
Seems like every day a state is looking to raise the tobacco age from 18 to 21 and this time you can add Oklahoma to that ever growing list. The bill, HB2317 was proposed by State Representative Ben Loring (D-7th District) and is scheduled to go through its first reading on February 1st. If the bill is passed it would raise the age from tobacco products and e-cigarettes to 21. This is the second time the […]
A new bill in my home state of New Hampshire has been proposed by Representative John Hunt (R-Cheshire) that seeks to redefine “tobacco products”. The bill, HB 1159 would change the definition of tobacco. The new definition would read as follows: 1 Definitions; Tobacco Products. Amend RSA 175:1, LXIV-d to read as follows: LXIV-d. “Tobacco products” means any product containing tobacco including, but not limited to, cigarettes, [loose] smoking tobacco, [and] cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff, pipe tobacco, […]
Beginning this week you may have noticed the lack of local legislative news on the website. We will report daily on major cities and pending state legislation. Tyngsboro, MA – The town has voted on the ban of flavored cigars, and has set a minimum purchase price on cigars. It has also outlawed the sale of single cigars and prohibits smoking inside smoke shops, although the town does not have a cigar lounge. Grayson County, […]
You can add the state of Tennessee to the growing movement to raise the tobacco age to 21 across the nation. While Hawaii has become the only state to raise the age, many states have proposed legislation to join suit. The new proposal comes from State Senator Jim Tracy (R-16) who has proposed SB 1973. The bill saw its first reading this week and passed its first consideration. Should it pass into law it would […]
Things could get ugly in the state of New Jersey if S284 gets passed. The bill sponsored by Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) and Loretta Weinber (D-Bergen) calls for the raising of the OTP tax which includes cigars from 30% to 90% of the wholesale price. Meaning a cigar with the MSRP of $10.00 that currently costs $11.50 in the state would go up to $14.50 per cigar. In addition to hurting the consumer, the bill would be crippling […]
As many states see there legislatures come back to the capital and budgets being due it is the time of year that we see proposed tax hikes. Some of these will pass, and some will not if the community speaks up against them. It is important to let your local officials know you will not vote them back in if they raise taxes. This time around it is Kentucky which has seen the introduction of HB […]
Yesterday we reported on a proposal in the state of Nebraska that would raise the tax on cigars by 55% and today the state is back at it again. Ken Schilz, a Republican from the 47th district has filed LB 727 which calls for a 1% tax on tobacco sales that occur at any retailer who possesses a cigar shop license under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act. The tax would be collected like any other sales tax, and […]
You can add Iowa to the list of states that wants tor raise the minimum tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21-years-old. The new measure was introduced last week by Senator Herman C. Quirmbach, a Democrat from the 23rd district of Iowa. The measure which was introduced by Quirmbach is SF 2016 and prohibits the sale of tobacco products to those under 21. In addition to it being illegal for retailers to sell to those under 21, the […]