Bill Text: NY S01148 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits the use of coupons or use of a price reduction instrument to lower the price of certain tobacco products.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-14 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO RULES [S01148 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S01148-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1148 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 11, 2019 ___________ Introduced by Sens. CARLUCCI, MAYER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting the use of coupons or use of a "price reduction instrument" to lower the price of certain tobacco products The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that tobacco 2 use is a leading cause of preventable premature death in the United 3 States and the state of New York. Given the substantial human and 4 economic costs associated with tobacco use, New York state has taken 5 numerous steps to reduce tobacco use among adults and to prevent minors 6 from taking up cigarette smoking or using other tobacco products. Howev- 7 er, the legislature finds that the state should take further action to 8 discourage adults and young adults from taking up and continuing to 9 smoke cigarettes, use e-cigarettes, or use other tobacco products. 10 Despite New York state's laws which prohibit the sale of cigarettes 11 and e-cigarettes to children under age 18, tobacco use among young 12 adults persists. According to recent findings, nine out of ten smokers 13 first tried cigarettes by age eighteen, and ninety-nine percent first 14 tried cigarettes by age twenty-six. In addition, a recent report issued 15 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and 16 Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products noted that while ciga- 17 rette use among high school students has declined, it still is a 18 substantial share (9.2%) of the most commonly used tobacco products by 19 these students. Of particular importance, the report notes that e-cigar- 20 ette use tripled among middle and high school students from 2013-2014 21 and that e-cigarette use has surpassed the current use of every other 22 tobacco product overall. 23 The legislature finds that the use of price reduction promotions, 24 especially coupons targeted in mailing, design and marketing to young EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD06353-01-9S. 1148 2 1 adults, results in additional and unwanted incentives for tobacco use. 2 By encouraging purchase by price reduction, these youth-directed 3 promotions unquestionably encourage youth use of tobacco products, and 4 should be disallowed. 5 The legislature hereby declares that enactment of this act is neces- 6 sary to address the persistent availability of low-priced cigarettes and 7 tobacco products targeted to young people in New York state. This act 8 will ban the redemption of coupons and other price reduction instruments 9 in the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to consumers. Such 10 actions are necessary to discourage the use of tobacco products by youn- 11 ger people in New York state. 12 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 13 1399-bb-1 to read as follows: 14 § 1399-bb-1. Prohibition on the sale of discounted cigarettes and 15 tobacco products. 1. Definitions. As used in this section: 16 (a) "Cigar" means any roll of tobacco for smoking that is wrapped in 17 leaf tobacco or in any substance containing tobacco, with or without a 18 tip or mouthpiece. Cigar does not include a little cigar as defined in 19 this section. 20 (b) "Cigarette" means any roll for smoking made wholly or in part of 21 tobacco or any other substance, irrespective of size or shape and wheth- 22 er or not such tobacco or substance is flavored, adulterated or mixed 23 with any other ingredient, the wrapper or cover of which is made of 24 paper or any other substance or material but is not made in whole or in 25 part of tobacco. 26 (c) "Electronic cigarette" means an electronic device that delivers 27 vapor for inhalation. Electronic cigarette shall include any refill, 28 cartridge, and any other component of an electronic cigarette. The term 29 includes any such device, whether manufactured, distributed, marketed or 30 sold as an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, e-hookah or vape pen, or under 31 any other product name or descriptor. Electronic cigarette shall not 32 include any product approved by the food and drug administration for 33 sale as a drug or medical device. 34 (d) "Little cigar" means any roll of tobacco for smoking that is 35 wrapped in leaf tobacco or in any substance containing tobacco and that 36 weighs no more than four pounds per thousand or has a cellulose acetate 37 or other integrated filter. 38 (e) "Listed price" means the price listed for cigarettes or tobacco 39 products on their packages or on any related shelving, posting, adver- 40 tising or display at the place where the cigarettes or tobacco products 41 are sold or offered for sale, including all applicable taxes. 42 (f) "Person" means any natural person, corporation, partnership, firm, 43 organization or other legal entity. 44 (g) "Price reduction instrument" means any coupon, voucher, rebate, 45 card, paper, note, form, statement, ticket, image, or other issue, 46 whether in paper, digital, or any other form, used for commercial 47 purposes to receive an article, product, service, or accommodation with- 48 out charge or at a discounted price. 49 (h) "Tobacco product" means any product which contains tobacco that is 50 intended for human consumption, including any component, part, or acces- 51 sory of such product. Tobacco product shall include, but not be limited 52 to, any cigar, little cigar, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco, roll-your- 53 own tobacco, snus, bidi, snuff, tobacco-containing shisha, or dissolv- 54 able tobacco product. Tobacco product shall not include cigarettes or 55 any product that has been approved by the United States food and drug 56 administration for sale as a tobacco use cessation product or for otherS. 1148 3 1 medical purposes and that is being marketed and sold solely for such 2 purposes. 3 2. Prohibition on the sale of cigarettes for less than the listed 4 price. No person shall: 5 (a) honor or accept a coupon or other price reduction instrument in 6 any transaction related to the sale of cigarettes to a consumer; 7 (b) sell or offer for sale cigarettes to a consumer through any 8 multi-package discount or otherwise provide to a consumer any cigarettes 9 for less than the listed price in exchange for the purchase of any other 10 cigarettes by the consumer; 11 (c) sell, offer for sale, or otherwise provide any product other than 12 cigarettes to a consumer for less than the listed price in exchange for 13 the purchaser of cigarettes by the consumer; or 14 (d) sell, offer for sale, or otherwise provide cigarettes to a consum- 15 er for less than the listed price. 16 3. Prohibition on the sale of tobacco products for less than the list- 17 ed price. No person shall: 18 (a) honor or accept a coupon or other price reduction instrument in 19 any transaction related to the sale of tobacco products to a consumer; 20 (b) sell or offer for sale tobacco products to a consumer through any 21 multi-package discount or otherwise provide to a consumer any tobacco 22 product for less than the listed price in exchange for the purchase of 23 any other tobacco product by the consumer; 24 (c) sell, offer for sale, or otherwise provide any product other than 25 a tobacco product to a consumer for less than the listed price in 26 exchange for the purchase of a tobacco product by the consumer; or 27 (d) sell, offer for sale, or otherwise provide tobacco products to a 28 consumer for less than the listed price. 29 4. Prohibition on the sale of electronic cigarettes for less than the 30 listed price. No person shall: 31 (a) honor or accept a coupon or other price reduction instrument in 32 any transaction related to the sale of an electronic cigarette to a 33 consumer; 34 (b) sell or offer for sale electronic cigarettes to a consumer through 35 any multi-package discount or otherwise provide to a consumer any tobac- 36 co product for less than the listed price in exchange for the purchase 37 of any other electronic cigarettes by the consumer; 38 (c) sell, offer for sale, or otherwise provide any product other than 39 an electronic cigarette to a consumer for less than the listed price in 40 exchange for the purchase of an electronic cigarette by the consumer; or 41 (d) sell, offer for sale, or otherwise provide electronic cigarettes 42 to a consumer for less than the listed price. 43 5. Rules. The commissioner or his or her delegate shall promulgate 44 any rules as may be necessary or desirable for the purpose of carrying 45 out this section. 46 6. Enforcement and penalties. (a) Whenever there shall be a violation 47 of this section, an application may be made by the attorney general in 48 the name of the people of the state of New York, to a court or justice 49 having jurisdiction by a special proceeding to issue an injunction, and 50 upon notice to the defendant of not less than five days, to enjoin and 51 restrain the continuance of such violation; and if it shall appear to 52 the satisfaction of the court or justice that the defendant has, in 53 fact, violated this section, an injunction may be issued by the court or 54 justice, enjoining and restraining any further violations, without 55 requiring proof that any person has, in fact, been injured or damaged 56 thereby. In any such proceeding, the court may make allowances to theS. 1148 4 1 attorney general as provided in paragraph six of subdivision (a) of 2 section eighty-three hundred three of the civil practice law and rules, 3 and direct restitution. Whenever the court shall determine that a 4 violation of this section has occurred, the court may impose a civil 5 penalty in the following amounts: 6 (1) up to one thousand dollars for a first violation within a five- 7 year period; 8 (2) up to two thousand dollars for a second violation within a five- 9 year period; and 10 (3) up to five thousand dollars for a third violation within a five- 11 year period. 12 (b) No person shall be liable under this section for more than one 13 violation of any of subdivisions two or three of this section during a 14 single day. 15 (c) In connection with any application as described in paragraph (a) 16 of this subdivision, the attorney general is authorized to take proof 17 and make a determination of the relevant facts and to issue subpoenas in 18 accordance with the civil practice law and rules. 19 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 20 have become a law.