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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 2, 2015 10:42 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Vanessa Lowery Brown |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Legislation Increasing Penalties for Selling Tobacco to Minors |
| In the near future, I plan to re-introduce legislation amending the Crimes Code to increase the penalty for individuals who sell or provide minors with tobacco products by reclassifying the offense as a misdemeanor of the third degree. According to the Teen Help Organization, approximately 6,000 children under the age of 18 start smoking every day. With approximately 440,000 Americans dying each year from diseases related to smoking, the Teen Help Organization estimated that 6.4 million children will die prematurely from a smoking-related disease. In order to diminish the occurrence of these preventable deaths, we as lawmakers, must continue to penalize those individuals who provide our children with tobacco products. As established in Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, an individual will commit an offense if he or she sells or furnishes tobacco products to minors, locates tobacco vending machines in an area accessible to minors, displays or offers cigarettes for sale out of a pack, or displays tobacco products in a manner that provides store patrons the ability to physically handle the products prior to purchase. My legislation will modify the penalties imposed on offenders by increasing the current grading classification from a summary offense to a misdemeanor of the third degree. Previous Co-Sponsors (HB1026): V. BROWN, FREEMAN , CLAY, BISHOP , FRANKEL , GINGRICH , COHEN , SIMS, DeLISSIO, NEILSON, WATERS , SWANGER , STURLA , CRUZ , FARINA and MOUL |