State tobacco-related legislative bills that have been acted on by a state legislative committee or state legislature are listed below alphabetically by state:
Connecticut: The 2021 regular legislative session adjourned June 9, 2021. A special session convened to finalize budget issues.
Delaware: Senate Bill 131, which reduces the tax rate on premium cigars from 30% to 15% of the wholesale price, passed the Senate on June 15, 2021.
Illinois: An amended version of Senate Bill 512, which sets packaging, ingredient, and marketing requirements for e-cigarettes; prohibits a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer from advertising, marketing, or promoting an electronic cigarette in a manner that: (1) encourages persons under 21 years of age to use an electronic cigarette; or (2) is attractive to persons under 21 years of age, including, but not limited to, inclusion of the following: (A) cartoons; (B) an image, character, or phrase that is similar to one popularly used to advertise to children; or (C) a video game, movie, video, or animated television show known to appeal primarily to persons under 21 years of age; and prohibits the honoring or acceptance of any discount, coupon, or other benefit or reduction in price that is inconsistent with 21 CFR 1140, subsequent United States Food and Drug Administration industry guidance, or any rules adopted under 21 CFR 1140, is still awaiting the Governor’s signature as of June 18, 2021. The amended version of the bill removed a provision that would have made it unlawful to sell in any one transaction more than 2 electronic cigarettes, 4 prepackaged cartridges of electronic cigarette solution, or 100 milliliters of electronic cigarette solution to a consumer.
Louisiana: House Bill 473, which raises the minimum age for the sale of tobacco, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products to the age of 21, moved to the Governor on June 11, 2021.
Maine: LD1550 / H.P. 1155, which prohibits the sale and distribution of all flavored tobacco products and ENDS (includes menthol products), reported out of the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services with divided reports on June 14, 2021. LD1693 / H.P.1258, which bans the sale of all flavored tobacco products (e. g. cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chew, END), increases the cigarette tax to $4.00 per pack and eliminates the cigarette stamping discount to distributors, was approved for carryover on June 3, 2021. LD1423 / H.P. 1039, which increases the cigarette tax from $2.00 per pack to $4.00 per 20 pack and by law, increases the tax on other tobacco products by the same percentage change as the increase in the tax on cigarettes, was voted down in the House by a vote of 67-73 on June 15. The bill was recommitted to the Joint Committee on Taxation on June 17, 2021 (carried over to any special or regular session).
North Carolina: House Bill 334 (as substituted in the Senate), which contains language to modify the excise tax on cigars to tax online sales the same as in-person sales (12.8% of the cost price with a cap of $.30 per cigar), was received in the House for concurrence on June 15, 2021.
Oregon: House Bill 2261, which prohibits remote sales of vapor products, will become effective January 1, 2022 (correction from previous report.) Senate Bill 587, which requires tobacco and vapor retailers to obtain a license from the Department of Revenue and prohibits local authorities from enacting licensing requirements, but grandfathers local licensing requirements in effect on January 1, 2021, passed the Joint Committee on Ways and Means on June 16, 2021.
Texas: Senate Bill 248, which requires anyone selling electronic cigarettes to consumer to obtain a license from the Comptroller, is still awaiting the Governor’s signature as of June 18, 2021. If approved, the law would go into effect on September 1, 2021. A provision imposing a tax on alternative nicotine products at the rate of $1.22 per ounce and a proportionate rate on all fractional parts of an ounce was removed from the final version of the bill.