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Senate committee backs bill to triple tobacco-control share of cigarette-tax revenue
Summary
A Senate committee released S15 72 to increase the percentage of cigarette and tobacco-product tax revenue dedicated to tobacco-prevention from 1% to 3%, with public-health groups urging more sustainable funding as smoking declines and youth vaping rises.
A state Senate committee on Monday released Senate Bill S15 72, which would increase the portion of cigarette and other tobacco-product tax revenue dedicated to tobacco-prevention and cessation programs from 1% to 3%. The bill was sponsored by Senator Turner.
Public-health groups urged the committee to approve the measure at a hearing that featured multiple witnesses. "Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease," said Quentin Long, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in New Jersey, testifying in support. Long told senators that "nearly 12,000 people" die each year in New Jersey from smoking-related diseases, and warned that declining cigarette sales can shrink the pool of prevention dollars unless the dedicated share is increased.
The bill’s supporters also included an American Heart Association representative and Orville Morales, director of health advocacy at the New Jersey Dental Association, who said tripling the revenue share would strengthen efforts to prevent youth initiation, reduce secondhand exposure and expand cessation resources for Medicaid recipients. An AHA witness said e-cigarette and vapor-product use among youth remains high and that the state’s current tobacco-prevention funding falls well short of CDC guidelines.
Committee members asked questions about health impacts and revenue design. One senator asked whether cannabis smoking causes cancer; Long said he did not have that figure available on the record and offered to follow up, noting only that studies exist. Witnesses repeatedly cautioned that tying prevention funding to cigarette-tax receipts leaves programs vulnerable as smoking declines and recommended seeking more sustainable revenue sources.
On a roll-call motion, the committee released S15 72 for further legislative consideration. All members recorded on the roll call voted yes.
The committee did not adopt additional amendments during the hearing. The next procedural step is the bill’s placement on a subsequent floor or committee calendar for further action.
