Pennsylvania: House Bill 2342 changes the recently enacted tax on electronic cigarettes, scheduled to be effective October 1, 2016, from 40% of the wholesale price to 5 cents per fluid milliliter of "consumable product."

Wyoming: On Thursday, September 22nd, the Wyoming Joint Revenue Committee rejected a bill to raise the state cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack from the current $.60 per pack to $1.85 per pack. An additional proposal to increase the cigarette tax by $.30 per pack also failed in the committee.

An article published in the September issue of CSP Magazine highlights the growth and expansion of NATO over the past fifteen years. NATO was formed in 2001 and the importance of the association to the tobacco industry has grown significantly over these years. To read the full article, click on the link below:

http://www.cspdailynews.com/print/csp-magazine/article/nato-brings-unity-amid-volatility

The FDA has announced an increase in the monetary fines that are accessed against retailers that violate federal tobacco regulations. These increases were made according to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015, which allows each federal agency to adjust its monetary fines for inflation once a year. The FDA’s new monetary fine amounts apply to retailers assessed with a fine after August 1, 2016, even if the violation(s) occurred as far back as November 2, 2015.

The number of violations, previous fine amount and new fine amount are as follows:

Colorado: Ballot Initiative No. 143 to increase the Colorado cigarette and tobacco tax rates has qualified to be placed on the Colorado general election ballot this November. The question asks voters to decide whether to increase the state cigarette tax by $1.75 per pack from the current $.84 per pack to $2.59 per pack and to raise the excise tax on other tobacco products by another 22% of the manufacturer’s list price.

North Dakota: As reported in the NATO News, a question to increase North Dakota tobacco taxes has been placed on the November ballot. The question is on the ballot as “Measure 4” and not “Measure 6” as was previously reported.

California: Assembly Bill 1901, which makes it illegal for non-distributors to possess unaffixed cigarette tax stamps, passed Senate on August 18, 2016. Senate Bill 1333, which prohibits smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes, in state coastal beaches and state parks, except as a movie or television prop, was amended on the Senate Floor, allowing the parks director to make exceptions, on August 19, 2016.

North Dakota: A question to increase North Dakota cigarette and tobacco excise taxes has qualified to be placed on the North Dakota general election ballot this November. The question, called “Measure 6,” would increase the state cigarette tax by $1.76 per pack from the current $.44 per pack to $2.20 per pack and would double the tax on other tobacco products from 28% to 56% of the wholesale price.