Texas Senate considers raising minimum age to purchase tobacco and nicotine products

By Richard Lee, Texas Senate

(AUSTIN) Texans may have to wait until the age of 21 to purchase tobacco and nicotine products under a measure heard before the Senate State Affairs Committee. That was one of several bills on Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s list of “priority legislation” heard in committee on Monday. 

SB 21, by Houston Senator Joan Huffman, would raise the minimum legal age to possess or use tobacco products from 18 to 21, including e-cigarettes and other nicotine vaporizing devices. While tobacco use is down statewide, there are parts of Texas where the habit remains hard to kick. North Texas is a particularly notable area, with a University of Texas study showing that twenty-five percent of adults in the region still smoke cigarettes daily, compared to 15 percent in the rest of the state.

Huffman believes raising the smoking age will also discourage use among minors.

“Raising the MLA to 21 for this offense would help keep cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and tobacco products out of Texas public schools by creating more social distance between younger high school students and of-age purchasers, thereby reducing early addiction to nicotine and tobacco,” Huffman stated. 

If passed into law, the bill would make Texas the eighth state to raise the smoking age to 21. It remains pending before the committee.

Closing the “revolving door” between government and lobbyists

Another priority bill in front of State Affairs Monday would prohibit registered lobbyists from seeking public office.

“Texans expect their elected officials to represent their interests,” said bill author Senator Brandon Creighton of Conroe. SB 13 would also seek to reduce the “revolving door” between serving in government and becoming a lobbyist by placing a two year cooling down period between a legislator leaving office and registering as a lobbyist.

Creighton said Texas is one of only nine states with no restrictions on lawmakers walking out of office and into a lobbying firm. Finally, the bill would require that state campaign financial disclosures be hosted on the Ethics Commission website.