CT Tobacco 21 Bill Faces Finance Showdown

CT Tobacco 21 Bill Faces Next Hurdle.

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Senate Bill 164, which will increase the tobacco sales age to 21, was passed out of the Public Health committee convincingly two weeks ago. Today, it is in the Finance committee where a vote is expected as early as next week. Three major hurdles remain. First, there is projected to be some loss of revenue. CT recently has struggled with budget deficits, and it is never easy to convince legislators to pass a bill that threatens to take away some revenue. Second, there are some legislators who feel strongly about exempting members of the military from the bill, which we are not in favor of. We feel that they too should be extended the health benefits that this bill will provide. Finally, the opposition is working hard to exclude e-cigarettes from the bill, which we will not allow.

We believe that ultimately, we will be successful in getting the bill out of the Finance committee. Should this occur, the bill will then be voted on buy the full Senate, then by the full House, and then it will go to the Governor’s desk for signature.

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