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A2942Assembly2019-2020 Session

Verify Age for Online Tobacco

Official title

“Relates to the sale of tobacco products over the internet”

Sponsor J. Gary PretlowAD-89Affects Health
Status
In Assembly Committee
Health
Impact
4/10
Low
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Health

What's happening

This bill requires companies to verify buyers are at least 18 years old before shipping tobacco products purchased online or otherwise.

Why it matters

  1. Increases accountability for online tobacco sales by requiring companies to actively verify buyers’ ages before shipping. , which could help reduce underage access to tobacco products purchased over the internet.

  2. Places new compliance and documentation burdens on tobacco retailers. , meaning companies must create, maintain, and process age-verification forms for every online or remote sale—potentially increasing operational costs and slowing down shipment times.

  3. Addresses a significant loophole in tobacco regulation. With more sales occurring online, previous law may not have effectively prevented minors from purchasing tobacco products remotely, so this measure aims to close that gap and align online sales with in-person age verification standards.

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Who cares

  • Online tobacco retailers

    The bill would require companies to send buyers a form requesting an authorized signature confirming they are at least 18 and receive it back before shipping tobacco products.

  • Other tobacco sellers shipping to individuals

    The same form requirement would apply to purchases made through channels other than the internet.

  • Tobacco buyers receiving shipments

    Buyers would need to return the age-confirmation form before the company could ship their tobacco products.

Headline styles

Verify Age for Online Tobacco

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
J. Gary Pretlow

Assembly Member · Assembly District 89

Chair, Ways and Means

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Referred to health
  2. Referred to health

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

2942

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 28, 2019

Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health

AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the sale of tobacco products over the internet

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 1399-dd-1 to read as follows:

§ 1399-dd-1. Retail shipment of tobacco products. Before a company may ship tobacco products to an individual attempting to purchase such products, over the internet or otherwise, such company shall send a form to the individual requesting an authorized signature that such individual is eighteen years of age or older. Upon receipt of such form such company may then ship the tobacco products.

§ 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD04660-01-9

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.