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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 19, 2013 03:41 PM |
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| 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 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. Please join me in further curtailing this illicit avenue of which the children of this Commonwealth are afforded the opportunity to take up such a pernicious and deadly habit. If you should have any questions or concerns regarding this legislation, please contact Brandon Flood at 717.772.6955 or bflood@pahouse.net . |
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| View Attachment | ||
Introduced as HB1026