California: Assembly Bill 709, which had been a transportation bill, was amended in its entirety on June 13, 2017 and now prohibits retailers of tobacco products to redeem coupons, provide multi-package discounts, or otherwise sell tobacco products for less than the listed price.

Kansas: House Bill 2230, which decreases the excise tax on vapor products from 20 cents per milliliter of e-liquid to 5 cents per milliliter of e-liquid, was signed by the Governor on June 15, 2017.

Maine: House Bill 1066 (LD1548), which increases 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 269, which would have regulated vapor products, removed vapor products from the current tax of 30% of the wholesale price and, in its place, imposed a tax of 5 cents per milliliter of consumable vapor products, and Senate Bill 181, which would have increased the tax on cigarettes from $1.80 to $2.40, both died on adjournment on June 6, 2017. 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 4377 (same as Senate Bill 2542), which requires retailers of electronic cigarettes, not otherwise registered with the department of taxation and finance to sell tobacco products, to register with the department, was reported from the Rules Committee and ordered to third reading on June 14, 2017. 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 5175, the Governor’s budget bill with a $.50 per pack cigarette tax increase, passed the House Finance Committee on June 15, 2017. House Bill 5821, which includes e-cigarette use in the definition of smoking and the sale of e-cigarettes in the definition for a retail tobacco store, passed the Senate Health & Human Services Committee on June 13, 2017. Senate Bill 446, which includes e-cigarette use in the definition of smoking and the sale of e-cigarettes in the definition for a retail tobacco store, passed the House Health, Education & Welfare Committee on June 14, 2017. 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.