An E-News Update of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets
February 19th, 2008
Recent Legislative Actions
The 2008 state and Congressional legislative sessions have begun. Below is a brief summary of current legislative news followed by a summary chart of the various tobacco bills being considered by state legislatures and Congress:
Virginia: On February 14th, the Virginia House of Delegates defeated several bills that would have prohibited smoking in restaurants and other public places. These bills are now dead for the session.
Wyoming: On February 14th, the Wyoming House of Representatives defeated a statewide ban on smoking by preventing the bill from being introduced
Proposed Cigarette and Tobacco Tax Increases
|
State
|
Current Tax
|
Proposed Increase
|
Tax if Legislation Adopted
|
|
Alabama
|
$.425/pack
|
$.325/pack
|
$.75/pack
|
|
Florida
|
$.339/pack
|
$.661/pack
|
$1.00/pack
|
|
Georgia
|
$.37/pack
|
$1.00/pack
|
$1.37/pack
|
|
Illinois
|
$.98/pack
|
$.90/pack (carryover from 2007 session)
|
$1.68/pack
|
|
Kansas
|
$.79/pack; OTP: 10%
|
$.50/pack; 47% OTP
|
$1.29/pack; OTP: 57%
|
|
Kentucky
|
$.30/pack
|
$.70/pack
|
$1.00/pack
|
|
Maine
|
$2.00/pack
|
$.05/pack
|
$2.05/pack
|
|
Maryland
|
OTP: 15%
|
10% OPT
|
OTP: 25%
|
|
Mississippi
|
$.18/pack
|
Up to $1.00/pack
|
Up to $1.18/pack
|
|
Nebraska
|
$.64/pack
|
$.10/pack
|
$.74/pack
|
|
New Hampshire
|
OTP: 19%
|
41% OTP
|
OTP: 60%
|
|
South Carolina
|
$.07/pack; OTP: 5%
|
Up to $.50/pack;
1% OTP
|
Up to $.57/pack; OTP: 6%
|
|
Utah
|
$.695/pack
|
$.50/pack
|
$1.195/pack
|
|
West Virginia
|
$.55/pack
|
$.80/pack
|
$1.35/pack
|
Smoking Restrictions: Smoking restriction bills are being considered in numerous states including: Alabama (would not allow smoking in workplaces); Iowa (does not allow smoking in public places, bars and restaurants); Kansas (does not allow smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars); Missouri (would extend smoking restrictions to bars, restaurants and sports arenas); New Jersey (would amend the state smoking restriction law to extend the smoking prohibition to casinos); and Oklahoma (extends the smoking ban to bars, taverns and cigar bars).
NATO’s Actions: NATO’s legislative staff has begun working on many of these bills and providing alerts, letters and petitions to NATO retail members to oppose these tax increases and smoking restrictions.
FDA Legislation: The U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce is scheduled to hold a hearing on March 6th on the legislation to grant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the manufacturer and sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.
Print | posted @ Friday, February 22, 2008 10:54 PM