The CSAC Health and Human Services Policy Committee voted to
support three of the tobacco regulation bills being heard in the
Special Session on Health Care. On a forth bill, the committee
voted to support is amended. As a package, the bills are intended
to lower the rates of smoking in California. California has a
rich history of tobacco control, which has helped to reduce the
rates of smoking-related diseases, as well as the costs of both.
The bills that CSAC now supports are described below:
ABX2 9 (Thurmond) would close some school tobacco regulation
loopholes and expands eligibility for Tobacco Use Prevention and
Education (TUPE) program funding to charter schools. ABX2 9 would
require all schools to enforce a tobacco-free campus policy.
ABX2 10 (Bloom) would allow a county, on and after January 1,
2017, to impose a tax on the privilege of distributing cigarettes
and tobacco products.
ABX2 11 (Nazarian) would establish an annual Board of
Equalization tobacco licensing fee program, similar to how
alcohol is licensed. ABX2 11 would increase the retailer license
fee of $100 per location to $265 per location and impose a $265
fee for the annual renewal of a tobacco retailer license. It
would also increase the annual distributor and wholesaler license
fee from $1,000 to $1,200.
CSAC also has a support if amended position on ABX2 7 (Stone),
which would close loopholes in smoke-free workplace laws,
including hotel lobbies, small businesses, and break rooms. CSAC
is seeking amendments clarifying that the requirements of
this bill would only apply to owner-operated businesses where
there is interaction with the public. Supervisors were concerned
about limiting the rights of sole owner-operators who operate a
business but who do not come in contact with members of the
public, vendors, or other persons.
CSAC has also supported the other two pieces of tobacco
legislation pushed by Legislative Democrats, including SBX2 5
(Leno) and SBX2 7 (Hernandez). SBX2 5 adds e-cigarettes/vaping
products to the existing definition of tobacco products. SBX2 7
increases the age of sale for tobacco products from 18 years of
age to 21. The CSAC HHS Policy Committee had developed
support positions on these bills last July.
All six bills have now passed both houses and are headed toward
the Governor’s desk. A seventh bill to raise taxes on tobacco
products was not heard. Proponents of a tobacco tax are
collecting signatures to place the issue on the November
statewide ballot.
