SENATE BILL No. 295

 

 

March 13, 2003, Introduced by Senators BASHAM, BERNERO, CLARK-COLEMAN, BISHOP and GEORGE and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1915 PA 31, entitled                                              

                                                                                

    "Youth tobacco act,"                                                        

                                                                                

    by amending sections 1, 2, and 4 (MCL 722.641, 722.642, and                 

                                                                                

    722.644), sections 1 and 2 as amended by 1988 PA 314 and section            

                                                                                

    4 as amended by 1992 PA 272.                                                

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 1.  (1) A person shall not sell, give, or furnish  any                 

                                                                                

2   cigarette, cigar, chewing tobacco, tobacco snuff, or tobacco in             

                                                                                

3   any other form  a tobacco product to a person under 18 years of             

                                                                                

4   age.  A person who violates this section is guilty of a                     

                                                                                

5   misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than  $50.00                  

                                                                                

6   $100.00 for  each offense  a first violation committed in a                 

                                                                                

7   calendar year, not more than $250.00 for a second violation                 

                                                                                

8   committed in a calendar year, or not more than $500.00 for a                

                                                                                

9   third or subsequent violation committed in a calendar year.                 

                                                                                


                                                                                

1       (2)  Beginning 90 days after the effective date of this                     

                                                                                

2   subsection, a  A person who sells tobacco products at retail                

                                                                                

3   shall post, in a place close to the point of sale and conspicuous           

                                                                                

4   to both employees and customers, a sign produced by the                     

                                                                                

5   department of  public  community health that includes the                   

                                                                                

6   following statement:                                                        

                                                                                

7       "The purchase of tobacco products by a minor under 18 years                 

                                                                                

8   of age and the provision of tobacco products to a minor are                 

                                                                                

9   prohibited by law.  A minor unlawfully purchasing or using                  

                                                                                

10  tobacco products is subject to criminal penalties."                         

                                                                                

11      (3) If the sign required under subsection (2) is more than 6                

                                                                                

12  feet from the point of sale, it shall be 5-1/2 inches by 8-1/2              

                                                                                

13  inches, and the statement required under subsection (2) shall be            

                                                                                

14  printed in 36-point  boldface  boldfaced type.  If the sign                 

                                                                                

15  required under subsection (2) is 6 feet or less from the point of           

                                                                                

16  sale, it shall be 2 inches by 4 inches, and the statement                   

                                                                                

17  required under subsection (2) shall be printed in 20-point                  

                                                                                

18  boldface  boldfaced type.                                                  

                                                                                

19      (4) The department of  public  community health shall produce               

                                                                                

20  the sign required under subsection (2) and have adequate copies             

                                                                                

21  of the sign ready for distribution to licensed wholesalers,                 

                                                                                

22  secondary wholesalers, and unclassified acquirers of  cigarettes            

                                                                                

23  and other  tobacco products  described in subsection (1)  free of           

                                                                                

24  charge.  within 60 days after the effective date of this                    

                                                                                

25  subsection.  Licensed wholesalers, secondary wholesalers, and               

                                                                                

26  unclassified acquirers of  cigarettes and other  tobacco products           

                                                                                

27  described in subsection (1)  shall obtain copies of the sign               


                                                                                

1   from the department of  public  community health and distribute             

                                                                                

2   them free of charge, upon request, to persons who are subject to            

                                                                                

3   subsection (2).  The department of  public  community health                

                                                                                

4   shall provide copies of the sign free of charge, upon request, to           

                                                                                

5   persons subject to subsection (2) who do not purchase their                 

                                                                                

6   supply of  cigarettes or other  tobacco products  described in              

                                                                                

7   subsection (1)  from licensed wholesalers, secondary wholesalers,           

                                                                                

8   and unclassified acquirers of  cigarettes and other  tobacco                

                                                                                

9   products.  described in subsection (1).                                     

                                                                                

10      (5) It is an affirmative defense to a charge pursuant to                    

                                                                                

11  subsection (1) that the defendant had in force at the time of               

                                                                                

12  arrest and continues to have in force a written policy to prevent           

                                                                                

13  the sale of  cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, tobacco snuff,            

                                                                                

14  and other  tobacco products to persons under 18 years of age, and           

                                                                                

15  that the defendant enforced and continues to enforce the policy.            

                                                                                

16  A defendant who proposes to offer evidence of the affirmative               

                                                                                

17  defense described in this subsection shall file and serve notice            

                                                                                

18  of the defense, in writing, upon the court and the prosecuting              

                                                                                

19  attorney.  The notice shall be served not less than 14 days                 

                                                                                

20  before the date set for trial.                                              

                                                                                

21      (6) A prosecuting attorney who proposes to offer testimony to               

                                                                                

22  rebut the affirmative defense described in subsection (5) shall             

                                                                                

23  file and serve a notice of rebuttal, in writing, upon the court             

                                                                                

24  and the defendant.  The notice shall be served not less than 7              

                                                                                

25  days before the date set for trial, and shall contain the name              

                                                                                

26  and address of each rebuttal witness.                                       

                                                                                

27      Sec. 2.  (1) A person under 18 years of age shall not                       


                                                                                

1   possess or  smoke cigarettes or cigars; or possess or chew, suck,           

                                                                                

2   or inhale chewing tobacco or tobacco snuff; or possess or use               

                                                                                

3   tobacco in any other form, on a public highway, street, alley,              

                                                                                

4   park, or other lands used for public purposes, or in a public               

                                                                                

5   place of business or amusement  use a tobacco product in a public           

                                                                                

6   place.                                                                      

                                                                                

7       (2) A person who violates  this section  subsection (1) is                  

                                                                                

8   guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than              

                                                                                

9   $50.00 for each  offense  violation Pursuant to a probation              

                                                                                

10  order, the  The court  may  shall require a person who violates             

                                                                                

11  this section  subsection (1) to participate in a health                    

                                                                                

12  promotion and risk reduction assessment program, if available.  A           

                                                                                

13  probationer  person who is ordered to participate in a health              

                                                                                

14  promotion and risk reduction assessment program under this                  

                                                                                

15  section  subsection is responsible for the costs of                        

                                                                                

16  participating in the program.  In addition, a person who violates           

                                                                                

17  this section  subsection (1) is subject to the following:                  

                                                                                

18      (a) For the first violation, the court  may  shall order the                

                                                                                

19  person to do 1 of the following:                                            

                                                                                

20                                                                               (i) Perform not more than 16 hours of community service in a                        

                                                                                

21  hospice, nursing home, or hospital long-term care  facility                 

                                                                                

22  unit.                                                                       

                                                                                

23      (ii) Participate in a health promotion and risk reduction                    

                                                                                

24  program, as described in this subsection.                                   

                                                                                

25      (b) For a second violation, in addition to participation in a               

                                                                                

26  health promotion and risk reduction program, the court  may                 

                                                                                

27  shall order the person to perform not more than 32 hours of                 


                                                                                

1   community service in a hospice, nursing home, or hospital                   

                                                                                

2   long-term care  facility  unit.                                             

                                                                                

3       (c) For a third or subsequent violation, in addition to                     

                                                                                

4   participation in a health promotion and risk reduction program,             

                                                                                

5   the court  may  shall order the person to perform not more than             

                                                                                

6   48 hours of community service in a hospice, nursing home, or                

                                                                                

7   hospital long-term care  facility  unit.                                    

                                                                                

8       Sec. 4.  As used in this act:                                               

                                                                                

9       (a) "Chewing tobacco" means loose tobacco or a flat,                        

                                                                                

10  compressed cake of tobacco that is inserted into the mouth to be            

                                                                                

11  chewed or sucked.                                                           

                                                                                

12      (a)  (b)  "Person who sells tobacco products at retail" means               

                                                                                

13  a person whose ordinary course of business consists, in whole or            

                                                                                

14  in part, of the retail sale of tobacco products subject to state            

                                                                                

15  sales tax.                                                                  

                                                                                

16      (c) "Tobacco snuff" means shredded, powdered, or pulverized                 

                                                                                

17  tobacco that may be inhaled through the nostrils, chewed, or                

                                                                                

18  placed against the gums.                                                    

                                                                                

19      (b) "Public place" means a public street, sidewalk, park, or                

                                                                                

20  any area open to the general public in a publicly owned or                  

                                                                                

21  operated building or public place of business.                              

                                                                                

22      (c) "Tobacco product" means a product that contains tobacco                 

                                                                                

23  and is intended for human consumption, including but not limited            

                                                                                

24  to cigarettes, noncigarette smoking tobacco, or smokeless                   

                                                                                

25  tobacco, as those terms are defined in section 2 of the tobacco             

                                                                                

26  products tax act, 1993 PA 327, MCL 205.422, and cigars.                     

                                                                                

27      (d) "Use a tobacco product" means to smoke or otherwise                     


                                                                                

1   consume a tobacco product.