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Utah House Circles Contested Cigarette-Tax Bill After Hours of Debate
Summary
After hours of floor debate and multiple amendments, the Utah House of Representatives voted to 'circle' (set aside) first-substitute House Bill 43 — a proposed cigarette excise tax increase intended to fund youth prevention and related programs — sending it back for further negotiation rather than final passage.
Representative Tanner, sponsor of the first substitute to House Bill 43, told the Utah House the measure is primarily a public-health proposal, not a revenue bill, and urged colleagues to raise the state cigarette excise to fund youth-prevention programs and enforcement. "For the first time in the state's history, we have a situation where there are more youth smoking than there are adults," Tanner said, arguing new funding is needed for education, research and compliance work.
The substitute would have increased the excise and directed new funds to a set of prevention and treatment programs and local enforcement activities. Throughout the day, members debated whether to treat the…
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