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Public‑health groups press Senate to restore tobacco prevention funding and vapor retailer licensing in HB 96
Summary
Public‑health advocates and county health department officials asked the Senate to restore the governor’s proposed tobacco prevention dollars, reinstate vapor retailer licensing, and keep the Tobacco Use Prevention Fund near prior levels to reduce youth tobacco and vape access.
Local public‑health officials and statewide advocacy groups told the Senate Health Committee that cuts to tobacco prevention and removal of a vapor retailer licensing program in the House budget could undermine work to reduce youth use of vaping products and tobacco.
Leah Baylor, a health educator with the Clark County Combined Health District, described fieldwork showing easy youth access to flavored vapes: initial compliance checks found a 35 percent failure rate for sales to minors, which fell to 8 percent after a county tobacco retailer license and enforcement began. “When I speak to youth and I ask them how prevalent it is to access tobacco products, they actually laugh and say that it's extremely easy,” she said while showing confiscated vape devices from one school.
Public‑health and advocacy asks: Witnesses urged the Senate to restore the governor’s proposed funding the Tobacco Use Prevention Fund — cited by groups as $10,000,000 per year — or at least not cut it to the House level. They also asked the Senate to reinsert the vapor retailer registry in statute so that the state can enforce sales rules and direct application fees into prevention programs. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Lung Association urged a cigarette tax increase ($1.50 per pack) and a 42% wholesale tax on other tobacco products to reduce youth initiation and support prevention funding.
Why it matters: Testimony cited public‑health costs and youth use statistics. “For every $1 invested in home visiting programs there’s a return of up to $5.70,” one witness noted for a different health program; for tobacco, testimony cited a large annual marketing spend by tobacco companies and significant health‑care costs tied to smoking.
Ending: Public‑health witnesses asked the Senate to restore prevention funding, reinstate the vapor licensing language, and consider tax policy changes to support both public health and program funding as HB 96 moves through the Legislature.
