Spring 2007 Newsletter (Excellent re-cap of recent, current and pending USA tobacco related legislation)
MySmokersRights members have not received an update from us in quite a while. After you read the following report you may understand why. We've been very busy fighting for your rights and trying to ensure that you still have public places in which to smoke and cigarettes that you can afford to purchase. It isn't easy, as you can imagine, but we believe in our cause and we believe in you, the MySmokersRights members.
Enough excuses, let's catch up.
Cigarette Tax Increase Legislation
Aside from the $1.00 per pack excise tax increase already passed and signed into law in Iowa, major activity is expected in the following states on the cigarette excise tax issue:
Connecticut - The Joint Public Health Committee has passed a bill that would raise the cigarette tax by 31 cents per pack. But hearings before the Joint Finance Committee will be important in determining the final tax proposal.
Indiana - A 25-cent cigarette tax increase was defeated in the state House by a 52-44 vote but is pending in the state Senate and being strongly advocated by the governor. One hundred smokers and retailers from southern Indiana held a rally at the State Capitol opposing this tax.
Maryland - The Maryland House of Delegates has voted for a $1 increase. However, the President of the state Senate is publicly opposed "in principle" to the tax hike advanced by the House.
New Hampshire - Legislation proposing increases of 28 cents and 50 cents per pack have been introduced and are being pushed by the governor. Since New Hampshire's legislature meets into the summer, final votes on new taxes might not occur until late June.
Oregon - The governor's proposal for an increase of 84.5 cents per pack has not come up for a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee. Oregon's budget enjoys a $2.5 billion surplus.
South Carolina - A subcommittee in the House passed a bill by a 2-1 vote to increase the cigarette tax by 30 cents per pack, the amount of taxation called for in the governor's budget proposal. However, there is strong opposition to the new tax in both the House and the Senate.
Wisconsin - The governor has proposed increasing the cigarette excise tax by $1.25 per pack. Action on this tax bill will likely be later in the session since Wisconsin's legislature meets both in the summer and the fall.
Other states where legislators will likely hold serious debates on excise taxes are: Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Tennessee.
Smoking Ban Legislation Debates on the Horizon in Key States
Idaho - A bill to ban smoking in bowling alleys was vetoed by the governor but was quickly overridden by wide margins in both the state House and Senate.
Illinois - The Illinois Senate has passed a bill that bans smoking in most public places including restaurants, bars and clubs, and senators expect the state House to do the same. However, the governor says he prefers the status quo which allows local communities to decide their own smoking policies.
Maryland - The Maryland legislature has passed a new law banning smoking in nearly all public places. The bill is now awaiting Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich's signature.
Minnesota - The state Senate has passed legislation which bans smoking in nearly all public places including restaurants, bars and taverns. When the bill is debated by the House, there will be an effort to exclude bars and clubs from the bill, but passage for these exceptions is unlikely.
Virginia - After much back and forth between the General Assembly and Governor Tim Kaine, state leaders failed to change the current statewide smoking restrictions that permit businesses of a certain size to allow smoking if they provide separate smoking and non-smoking sections. Gov. Kaine had attempted to ban smoking in all restaurants by amending a legislature-approved "restaurant signage" bill that simply required eateries to post signs if they allow smoking. The General Assembly rejected the governor's amendments and sent the original "signage" bill back to him for a second approval. The Governor eventually vetoed the bill leaving the legislature without an opportunity to override. Therefore, there were no changes to the existing language.
New Mexico - Gov. Bill Richardson signed a new law banning smoking in nearly all public places including restaurants, clubs and bars. Tobacco manufacturing facilities are exempt.
North Carolina - A bill which would ban smoking in nearly all public places including restaurants, clubs, bars and taverns has received a positive vote in the House Health Committee and has been scheduled for a floor vote. However, strong opposition from business owners, farmers and smokers has caused the author of the bill to reconsider.
Pennsylvania - Legislation which calls for a total smoking ban statewide including all restaurants, bars and clubs has passed in a state Senate committee. A strong coalition against the ban includes the National Federation of Independent Business, bowling proprietors plus bar and tavern owners.
Texas - A Texas state House Committee held a six-hour hearing on a bill which would ban smoking in nearly all public places including restaurants, bars, clubs and taverns. A companion bill has been filed in the Senate.
Other states where smoking restriction bills will be debated seriously during the 2007 session include: Wisconsin, Oregon, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Iowa.
Early State Legislatures Adjourn
Several states, mostly with smaller populations, have already adjourned the 2007 session of their legislatures including Wyoming, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Idaho, Kentucky, Georgia, Washington, New Mexico, South Dakota, Mississippi and Utah. Legislation to raise cigarette excises taxes failed in all these states, and smoking restriction bills did not pass with the exception of the statewide smoking ban in New Mexico and in Maryland where a smoking ban bill is still pending the govenor's signature.
Thank you for using MySmokersRights to protect the rights of adult smokers.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
If you want to contact us, please call 1-800-743-6725. You can write us at: Consumer Relations, P.O. Box 2959, Winston-Salem, NC 27102-2959.