Bill Text: NY A02609 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to verification of compliance with federal and state regulations on packaging of e-liquid products; relates to creating a "tobacco and vaping cessation fund" to be funded with tax revenue from sales of e-liquid products.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to health [A02609 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-A02609-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2609 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 19, 2021 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. FALL, TAYLOR, NIOU, COOK, GRIFFIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the general business law and the public health law, in relation to packaging requirements for e-liquid products; to amend the tax law, in relation to taxes imposed for the sale of vaping products, and the disbursement of such taxes; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing a "tobacco and vaping cessation fund" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 399-gg of the general business law, as added by 2 chapter 542 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 399-gg. Packaging of electronic liquid. 1. No person, firm or corpo- 4 ration shall sell or offer for sale any electronic liquid, as defined in 5 paragraph (e) of subdivision one of section thirteen hundred ninety- 6 nine-cc of the public health law, unless [the] such electronic liquid is 7 sold or offered for sale in a child resistant bottle which is designed 8 to prevent accidental exposure of children to electronic liquids. 9 2. Upon receipt of notification from the commissioner of health made 10 pursuant to subdivision four of section thirteen hundred ninety-nine-gg- 11 one of the public health law, a seller under this section shall have 12 ninety days to become compliant with section thirteen hundred ninety- 13 nine-gg-one of the public health law. After such date, no person, firm 14 or corporation shall sell or offer for sale any electronic liquid, 15 unless the packaging of such electronic liquid is in compliance with 16 such section. 17 3. Any violation of this section shall be punishable by a civil penal- 18 ty not to exceed one thousand dollars. 19 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 20 1399-gg-1 to read as follows: 21 § 1399-gg-1. Verification of manufacturers of e-liquids. 1. For the 22 purposes of this section, "e-liquid" shall have the same meaning as EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD06083-01-1A. 2609 2 1 provided by paragraph (e) of subdivision one of section thirteen hundred 2 ninety-nine-cc of this article. 3 2. For the purposes of this section, "smart device" shall mean a 4 cellular radio telephone or other mobile voice communications handset 5 device that includes the following features: 6 (a) utilizes a mobile operating system; 7 (b) possesses the capability to utilize mobile software applications, 8 access and browse the internet, utilize text messaging, utilize digital 9 voice service, and send and receive email; 10 (c) has wireless network connectivity; and 11 (d) is capable of operating on a long-term evolution network or 12 successor wireless data network communication standards. 13 3. Within one hundred twenty days of the effective date of this 14 section, the commissioner shall: 15 (a) cause to be created a webpage on the department's internet website 16 which lists all e-liquid manufacturers who are in compliance with both 17 federal and state regulations; and 18 (b) create and make available to manufacturers of e-liquids a code 19 which, when scanned with a smart device, shall open on such device the 20 internet webpage created pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 21 4. Upon completion of the requirements of subdivision three of this 22 section, the commissioner shall notify sellers of e-liquids of such 23 completion, and of the obligations of sellers of e-liquids provided by 24 section three hundred ninety-nine-gg of the general business law. 25 § 3. Section 1181 of the tax law, as added by section 1 of part UU of 26 chapter 59 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows: 27 § 1181. Imposition of Tax. In addition to any other tax imposed by 28 this chapter or other law, there is hereby imposed a tax of [twenty] 29 forty-one percent on receipts from the retail sale of vapor products 30 sold in this state. The tax is imposed on the purchaser and collected by 31 the vapor products dealer as defined in subdivision (b) of section elev- 32 en hundred eighty of this article, in trust for and on account of the 33 state. 34 § 4. Section 1186 of the tax law, as added by section 1 of part UU of 35 chapter 59 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows: 36 § 1186. Deposit and disposition of revenue. The taxes, interest, and 37 penalties imposed by this article and collected or received by the 38 commissioner shall be deposited daily with such responsible banks, bank- 39 ing houses or trust companies, as may be designated by the comptroller, 40 to the credit of the comptroller, with twenty-one percent of such reven- 41 ues deposited in the tobacco and vaping cessation fund established by 42 section ninety-seven-bbbbb of the state finance law to be distributed by 43 the commissioner of health in accordance with such section, and the 44 remaining amount being deposited in trust for the tobacco control and 45 insurance initiatives pool established by section ninety-two-dd of the 46 state finance law and distributed by the commissioner of health in 47 accordance with section twenty-eight hundred seven-v of the public 48 health law. Such deposits will be kept separate and apart from all other 49 money in the possession of the comptroller. The comptroller shall 50 require adequate security from all such depositories. Of the total 51 revenue collected or received under this article, the comptroller shall 52 retain such amount as the commissioner may determine to be necessary for 53 refunds under this article. Provided, however that the commissioner is 54 authorized and directed to deduct from the amounts he or she receives 55 from the registration fees under section eleven hundred eighty-three of 56 this article, before deposit into the tobacco control and insuranceA. 2609 3 1 initiatives pool, a reasonable amount necessary to effectuate refunds of 2 appropriations of the department to reimburse the department for the 3 costs incurred to administer, collect and distribute the taxes imposed 4 by this article. 5 § 5. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-bbbbb 6 to read as follows: 7 § 97-bbbbb. Tobacco and vaping cessation fund. 1. There is hereby 8 established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the 9 commissioner of taxation and finance a fund to be known as the "tobacco 10 and vaping cessation fund". 11 2. Such fund shall consist of all moneys required to be deposited in 12 the tobacco and vaping cessation fund pursuant to the provisions of 13 section eleven hundred eighty-six of the tax law, and the amounts of 14 moneys received and deposited into the fund from grants, gifts and 15 bequests during the preceding calendar year, as certified by the comp- 16 troller. Nothing contained herein shall prevent the state from receiving 17 grants, gifts or bequests for the purposes of the fund as defined in 18 this section and depositing them into the fund according to law. 19 3. The moneys in such fund shall be kept separate and shall not be 20 commingled with any other moneys in the custody of the comptroller. 21 4. On or before the first day of February each year, the comptroller 22 shall certify to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, 23 the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate finance committee 24 and the chair of the assembly ways and means committee, the amount of 25 moneys deposited in the tobacco and vaping cessation fund during the 26 preceding calendar year as the result of revenue derived pursuant to 27 section eleven hundred eighty-one of the tax law, and from grants, gifts 28 and bequests. 29 5. On or before the first day of February each year, commencing with 30 the first day of February one year after the effective date of this 31 section, the commissioner of health shall provide a written report to 32 the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the 33 chair of the senate finance committee, the chair of the assembly ways 34 and means committee, the chair of the senate committee on health, the 35 chair of the assembly health committee, the state comptroller and the 36 public. Such report shall include how the moneys of the fund were 37 utilized during the preceding calendar year, and shall include: 38 (i) the amount of moneys disbursed from the fund; 39 (ii) recipients of disbursements from the fund; 40 (iii) the amount disbursed to each recipient; 41 (iv) the purposes for which such disbursements were granted; and 42 (v) a summary financial plan for such moneys which shall include esti- 43 mates of all receipts and all disbursements for the current and succeed- 44 ing fiscal year, along with the actual results from the prior fiscal 45 year. 46 6. Moneys of the fund shall be expended only for tobacco and vaping 47 cessation research and educational projects or programs designed to 48 encourage cessation of tobacco and vaping product use. As used in this 49 section, "tobacco and vaping cessation research and educational 50 projects" means scientific research or educational projects which, 51 pursuant to section twenty-four hundred eleven of the public health law, 52 are approved by the department of health, upon the recommendation of the 53 health research science board. As used in this section, "programs 54 designed to encourage cessation of tobacco and vaping product use" shall 55 mean programs designed to help users of tobacco or vaping products cease 56 their use of such products, including but not limited to the tobacco andA. 2609 4 1 vapor product use prevention and control program established pursuant to 2 section thirteen hundred ninety-nine-ii of the public health law. 3 7. Moneys shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of 4 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner 5 of health. 6 8. To the extent practicable, the commissioner of health shall ensure 7 that all moneys received during a fiscal year are expended prior to the 8 end of that fiscal year. 9 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.