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Senate committee debates tobacco licensing fees, fake‑ID penalties and shisha language ahead of Finance review
Summary
Senate members and witnesses debated three fee options for a tobacco licensing bill (keep current, inflation adjust to ~$150, or align with regional states at $250–$300), discussed reinstating penalties for minors using false IDs, and considered shisha/hookah language and an online‑sales tax‑collection fix; the Attorney General and public health advocates urged moderate fee increases and an online compliance investigator.
Lawmakers spent substantial time weighing options for changes to retailer licensing, penalties and enforcement in the tobacco bill, with staff and witnesses offering alternatives ranging from an inflation adjustment to aligning Vermont with regional states.
Jen Carvey of the Legislative Council summarized three options for retail licensing fees: leave the fee at its current level (set in 2016), adjust for inflation to roughly $140–$163 (rounded defensibly to $150), or set a regional‑comparable fee of $250–$300. "If we adjusted for inflation... that would bring it to $162," Carvey said as the committee discussed round figures to include in…
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