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Legislative record

SB 582STATE · VirginiaIntroduced

Tobacco products retailers; purchase, possession, and sale of retail tobacco products.

Voted 4/17/2024

Summary

Purchase, possession, and sale of retail tobacco products; retail tobacco products and liquid nicotine; penalties; reports. Updates, for the purpose of the crime of selling or distributing tobacco products to a person younger than 21 years of age, the definition of "retail tobacco products" by including in such definition products currently defined as "nicotine vapor products" or "alternative nicotine vapor products." The bill also removes provisions prohibiting the attempt to purchase, the purchase, or the possession of tobacco products by persons younger than 21 years of age. The bill also provides for a punishment for a retail dealer that sells, gives, or furnishes a retail tobacco product to a person younger than 21 years of age or to a person who does not demonstrate that such person is at least 21 years of age is (i) a civil penalty of $1,000 for a first offense, (ii) a civil penalty of $5,000 for a second offense, and (iii) a civil penalty of $10,000, revocation of the retail dealer's retail sales and use tax exemption certificate for stamped cigarettes purchased for resale or distributor's license, and provides that such violator will be ineligible to hold such certificate or license for a period of three years following the most recent violation. Under current law, such penalties apply only to the sale, distribution, or purchase of a bidi and do not require a suspension or revocation of the establishment's distributor's license, while violations involving all other products are punishable by a civil penalty of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense, and $500 for a third or subsequent offense. The bill requires certain education for retail dealers and its employees. The bill requires the Department, in collaboration with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority and Department of Taxation and local law enforcement, to enforce the new provisions and to conduct a compliance check every 24 months on any retailer selling retail tobacco products and to use a person younger than 21 years of age to conduct such checks. The bill directs (i) the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Department of Taxation to collaborate on the implementation of the bill's provisions and (ii) the Department of Taxation to evaluate taxing liquid nicotine in closed and open systems, and for such findings to be reported to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024.   

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Bill text

The full text of this bill isn't on Heard yet. The official documents are linked below.

Roll-call record

How representatives voted

507 yea·94 nay·10 other

Docket history

Action history

  1. 4/17/2024Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0796)
  2. 4/17/2024Enacted, Chapter 796 (effective 7/1/24)
  3. 4/17/2024Signed by Speaker as reenrolled
  4. 4/17/2024Signed by President as reenrolled
  5. 4/17/2024Reenrolled bill text (SB582ER2)
  6. 4/17/2024Reenrolled
  7. 4/17/2024Governor's recommendation adopted
  8. 4/17/2024VOTE: Adoption (83-Y 14-N)
  9. 4/17/2024House concurred in Governor's recommendation (83-Y 14-N)
  10. 4/17/2024Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (37-Y 3-N)