Tobacco Documents Online

Expect Minnesota governor to sign measure (H529) Increasingcl~larette tax 15 cents, to 38 cents, and l~lking the OTP tax from 25 to 35 percent. The-bill, wl~lcl't passed the Senate 5/19 and the House ,5/18, Includes tax on floor stocks...effective date 6/1. New rate would make Minnesota tax the nation's highest.

N~N~ESOTA Senate approved 15-cent increase in cigarette tax (23 c~b~cs to 38 cents) and 10% hike in OTP tax (25% to 35%) 5/19 in HF529...had passed House 5/18...includes tax on floor stocks... effective date of tax is 6/1/87. To governor for signature. / MINNESOTA Ho/se sent H1283--state sampling ban on all tobacco product~--t~ conference committee 5/18; bill quickly reported out of cmte'~n~ passed by House by 99-30 vote...Senate okayed in waning minutes of the session 5/19. Effective date is 8/i/87.

MINNESOTA Senate amended healt~ care/day'are smoking restriction bill previously okayed by Souse~to in~/lfude state sampling ban... back to House for concurrence a te~~. Only exemption to ban would be that "single serving samples~tobacco may be distributed in tobacco stores."

Smoking is restricted in numerous public places, including stores, restrooms, gyms, groceries, elevators, museums, movie theaters and video arcades.

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (~) -- ~e "No Smoking" signs in Waterford To.ship's p~lic parks have been removed after the chairman of the to.ship's board of supervisors realized that the board never officially adopted the ordinance, the chai~an said We~esday. "~ere never was an ordinance in effect," said Ed Terry, chai~an of the Waterford To.ship Board of Supervisors. "Not being full-time gover~ent officials, we found out we had not followed every letter of the law."

City Council held a first hearing today -- no action taken. Second hearing scheduled for July 10.

Florida 1 cent Ore~m l~tts 4, 8 cents Pe~Ivania ~.~:.~.~ ~. ~. _=, !5.

Even though the action taken on May 7 by the city council was more favorable than the original proposal, the Rancho Mirage Restaurant & Merchants Association (RMRMA) continues to push for further amendments which it feels are more reasonable.

Thanks co many of you who have voiced your opposition to the city counc~lts smoking restriction proposal and attende~ the Hay 7 hearing. ~hile the city council has ~odtfied its original position, we £eel the current proposal remains so strlct chat the nesatlve financial Impact co business is stlll severe.

I hope you have received our le=ter of objections to the proposed ordinance, they are presented in a spirit of negotiation and compromise.

Enclosed for your review is a copy of a very broad smoking restriction ordinance proposed by Councilwoman Hilda Mason and a copy of a newspaper'article from the Washington Post.

D~$c~ct Bu~.d~, 14~t snd E St.ree~s, N.W.

In 1978, the council gave unanimous preliminary approval to a stern antismoking bill. The Tobacco Institute then hired lawyer-lqbbyist Larry C. Williams; two weeks later, the council voted to table the package. Outraged health organizations • thenorganized to lobby the council, which a year later passed the cur- " rent law. It does not address ing in restaurants, hotel logics, offices and industrial plants, as did the controversial 1978 proposal. The D.C.

Committee due to a lack of a motion. No vote was taken. Very seldom is a bil~e~-6a~ed in this manner but A-K Associates did an excellent job working the committee and the results support, their effort.

San Bruno type ordinance. Ordinance calls for creating non-smoking areas in city-owned buildings-and prohibiting smoking in confined public places such as restrooms and elevators. Restaurants with seating for more than 50 are required to have non-smoking areas while outdoor eating areas and restaurant bars are exempted.

I will be on vacation from May 18 through May 29. During this time, Diana, Bill and Walter will be handling all phases of legislative repo~ting. Because they also have their own work to keep up with, it will be particularly important that all reporting be done in the most efficient manner, which is to use the Leqis-Trac.

Illinois smokln$ restriction bill (H20) dead after House rejected measure 5/21 on third reading and no turther action b/22...H20 fell two votes short of the needed 60. In the state Senate, restriction measure $374 met a stmllar fate 5/22...was 10 votes shy of the required 56.

Other Tobacco Products Tax was eliminated.

FLORIDA H143~, c~ean indoortair~~eleased by House Appropriations C~te 5/21 af/t-~T'-fiscal~impact review now goes to House calendar..~Senate co~panlon ($414) given unanimous vote of approval 5/18 in ~enate C~mmerce Cmte goes to Senate Appropriations Cm58. / CALIFORNIA SB~5~0 (to~aac~d~billboa~rd ,ad ban) voted down by Senate Appr'op~ation~/CM~~-l'~vote 5/18 now scheduled for rec~nside ration, v6~l.