The following bills were recently introduced in state legislatures:

Arkansas: House Bill 1711 increases the legal age to purchase tobacco and vapor products from 18 to 21.

Florida: House Bill 1093 increases the legal age to purchase tobacco and vapor products from 18 to 21.

Maine: LD708 increases the cigarette tax by $.50 per pack.

Massachusetts: House Bill 1158 prohibits local boards of health from banning the sale of tobacco products sold legally in the Commonwealth. House Bill 1180 prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to persons under the age of 18. House Bill 1217 raises the minimum sales age for tobacco products and vapor products from 18 to 21 and redefines "retail tobacco store" and "smoking bar" to prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from entering. Senate Bill 1178 prohibits the sale of a tobacco product to a person under the age of 21 or, not being his parent or guardian, give a tobacco product to a person under the age of 21. Senate Bill 1218 prohibits the sale of tobacco products to persons under the age of 21 (except persons who are age 18 before January 1, 2017), requires child resistant packaging for liquid nicotine and bans the sale of tobacco products at pharmacies. Senate Bill 1576 taxes “electronic smoking liquid” at 40% of wholesale and caps the tax on cigars at $.50 per cigar. Senate Bill 1497 increases the tax on cigars by 80% of wholesale, on smoking tobacco by 90% of wholesale and on smokeless tobacco by 20%.

Minnesota: Senate File 1765 prohibits the use of coupons for the purchase of tobacco products or vapor products. Senate File 1537 requires each manufacturer of vapor products to pay a fee of $500 for each vapor products manufacturer license application. SF1765 would not require a vapor products manufacturer to obtain a distributor’s license for the sale of vapor products.

Oregon: House Bill 3007 imposes a tax on vapor products at 95% of the wholesale price of e-liquid that is sold both separately from an inhalant delivery system or an inhalant delivery system sold containing e-liquid.

Pennsylvania: House Bill 708 provides for a tax on smokeless tobacco products.

Rhode Island: House Bill 5820 raises the legal minimum age to purchase tobacco products and nicotine-delivery systems from age 18 to age 21. Senate Bill 420 requires that a fifteen percent (15%) minimum markup be added to the total cost of cigarettes sold by retailers.

Texas: House Bill 2514 increases the state cigarette tax by $.25 (from $1.41 per pack to $1.66 per pack).

Ohio: House Bill 49 increases the cigarette tax by $.65 per pack, raises the OTP tax to 52%, and imposes a vapor tax of 69% of the wholesale price.

Utah: House Bill 439, which imposes a tax of 86% of the wholesale price on e-cigarettes and their components and non-therapeutic nicotine devices, was introduced on February 24, 2017.