(Austin) Texans may have to wait until the age of 21 to purchase tobacco and nicotine products under a measure heard before the Senate State Affairs Committee. That was one of several bills on Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s list of “priority legislation” heard in committee on Monday. Bills are given numbers based on the order they are filed, however the Lt. Governor usually reserves the lowest bill numbers to assign to bills he and the majority of Senators consider important legislation. This session, Patrick reserved the 30 lowest, and seven of those bills were heard in committees Monday.
SB 21, by Houston Senator Joan Huffman, would raise the minimum legal age to possess or use tobacco products from 18 to 21, including e-cigarettes and other nicotine vaporizing devices. While tobacco use is down statewide, there are parts of Texas where the habit remains hard to kick. North Texas is a particularly notable area, with a University of Texas study showing that twenty-five percent of adults in the region still smoke cigarettes daily, compared to 15 percent in the rest of the state. Huffman believes raising the smoking age will also discourage use among minors. “Raising the MLA to 21 for this offense would help keep cigarettes, e-cigarettes and tobacco products out of Texas public schools by creating more social distance between younger high school students and of-age purchasers, thereby reducing early addiction to nicotine and tobacco.” If passed into law, the bill would make Texas the eighth state to raise the smoking age to 21. It remains pending before the committee.
The Federal Excise Tax on each carton of cigarettes is $3.90 currently. Various off-shore marketers exempt themselves from this tax, as do black marketers and smugglers. Therefore, there are few legal ‘Tax Free’ cigarettes being sold in America. Legal tax-free cigarettes are the cigarettes sold by the Seneca Nation of Indians. The Seneca Nation of Indians is based in Western New York. They are federally recognized as a separate nation by the United States, and enjoy a tax-free status. The Seneca Nation of Indians has various treaties with the United States, which allow them free trade. The people of Seneca have been dealing in tobacco for hundreds of years, and it is one of their most important businesses. There are many websites which take orders and sell tax-free cigarettes. Some of the major brands available tax-free are Marlboro, Winston, Montclair, Camel and Newport. Many other brands are available tax-free through these websites. The orders are sent through US Priority Mail. Many of the websites which deal with cigarettes also provide cigars and tobacco. All websites and companies selling tax-free cigarettes are governed by the Seneca Nations of Indians Business Code, and should be a Certified Seneca Nations of Indians retailer/on line retailer. A person must be eighteen and have a valid driver’s license and social security number to zigaretten steuerfrei online bestellen. An age and signature verification process is done, after which the sale is made. The delivery is done normally within five to seven days of order. Tax-free cigarettes can also be bought via mail, as long as the rules, regulations and procedures of the post office are followed. Tax-free cigarettes sold online are strictly for personal use, and are not for resale. Most tax-free cigarette retailers deliver only in the USA.
Another huge benefit to buying your tobacco products online is that you can find a brand of smokes that has never been or is no longer carried in your area. For example, say that there was a limited edition brand of Marlboro cigarettes that you very much enjoyed smoking. Unfortunately, the retailers in your area were only scheduled to carry that particular type of cigarette for a certain amount of time. Now if you went in search of cheap cigarettes online at a sale price it is quite likely that you could run across an internet merchant that carries that smokes that you can’t get locally anymore.
Now there are many smokers that may be wondering if it is a legal practice to buy and sell tobacco online. The answer to this very important question is yes it is legal for retailers to sell cigarettes online just as it is legal for customers to purchase them. A reputable online merchant that sells discount cigarettes will have parental controls on their websites as well as a disclaimer that if making a purchase for cheap smokes from their website the customer has to acknowledge that they are of legal age to purchase this type of product. So as you can see there are several great benefits to deciding to buy your tobacco items online. You can not only save yourself time you can also end up saving a ton of money.
Another priority bill in front of State Affairs Monday would prohibit registered lobbyists from seeking public office. “Texans expect their elected officials to represent their interests,” said bill author Senator Brandon Creighton of Conroe. SB 13 would also seek to reduce the “revolving door” between serving in government and becoming a lobbyist by placing a two year cooling down period between a legislator leaving office and registering as a lobbyist. Creighton said that Texas is one of only nine states with no restrictions on lawmakers walking out of office and into a lobbying firm. Finally, the bill would require that state campaign financial disclosures be hosted on the Ethics Commission website.
Other low-numbered bills considered by State Affairs Monday include SB 9, by Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola, which aims to improve election security by requiring a paper record of any ballots cast through an electronic voting machine. SB 22 by New Braunfels Senator Donna Campbell, would prohibit state and local government agencies from funding abortion providers with public money. SB 29, by Edgewood Senator Bob Hall, would prohibit taxpayer funded organizations or political subdivisions from hiring lobbyists using public money. Finally, SB 30, by Granbury Senator Brian Birdwell, aims to increase transparency on ballot questions regarding public debt, requiring that each bond for different purposes be listed as separate propositions, rather than a single proposition including multiple bonds for multiple purposes.
The Finance Committee also heard a low-numbered bill Monday, one that would give the state’s natural parks and historical sites a dedicated revenue stream for the future. SB 26 and Senate Joint Resolution 24 would place a question on the November ballot asking voters to approve the dedication of all sporting goods sales and use tax revenues toward the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Historical Commission in perpetuity. “The resolution is designed to ensure that our state parks and historic sites will receive the funding that they need to preserve our natural areas and protect our history,” said author Senator Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham. According to the comptroller’s biennial revenue estimate, sales on sporting goods are projected to bring in about $342 million in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. If approved, the resolution would take effect at the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year. The bill was approved by the committee and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
The Senate will reconvene Tuesday, March 19 at 11 a.m.
