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SF0042 • 2020

Nicotine products–age verification and shipping.

AN ACT relating to nicotine products; requiring age verification for remote sales of nicotine products; specifying shipping requirements for nicotine products; modifying definitions related to nicotine products; providing penalties; and providing for an effective date.

Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Revenue
Last action
2020-03-13
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2020

Plain English Breakdown

The penalties for breaking the rules are not detailed beyond saying it's a misdemeanor, but specific details about fines and other consequences are not provided in the official source material.

Age Verification and Shipping Rules for Nicotine Products

This law requires online sellers of nicotine products to verify buyers' ages using public records and to ship orders only if a person aged 21 or older signs for them.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires online sellers of nicotine products to use an age verification system that checks public records to confirm the buyer is at least 21 years old.
  • Requires online sellers to deliver nicotine products only when someone who is 21 or older signs for the package.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Online sellers of nicotine products
  • People buying nicotine products online

Terms To Know

Nicotine product
Any item that contains or is made from tobacco and includes electronic cigarettes.
Age verification system
A service that checks public records to confirm a person's age.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify how online sellers should handle in-person sales.
  • It is unclear what happens if an online seller uses an incorrect or outdated age verification system.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0042H3001

3rd reading • Representative Lindholm

Divided

Plain English: The amendment modifies the requirements for verifying the identity of purchasers buying nicotine products remotely by adding specific verification steps based on federal regulations, but excluding references to banks and accounts.

  • Adds a new requirement that the purchaser's identity must be verified according to 31 CFR 1020.220(a)(2), except it replaces 'bank' with 'seller of nicotine products' and 'opening an account' with 'purchasing nicotine products'.
  • Removes the phrase 'and address listed' from the existing text.
  • Modifies punctuation by changing a period to a semicolon.
  • The exact nature of the verification process under 31 CFR 1020.220(a)(2) is not explained in this amendment, so it's unclear what specific steps are required for verifying identity.
  • It's unknown how this change will affect current practices and systems used by sellers to verify purchaser identities.
SF0042H3001.01

3rd reading • Representative Lindholm

Corrected, Adopted

Plain English: The amendment removes the requirement for sellers to verify the address of a buyer when selling nicotine products remotely.

  • Removes the need for sellers to confirm the physical address of buyers during remote sales of nicotine products.
  • It is unclear what other impacts this change might have on age verification processes or shipping requirements.
SF0042H3001.02

3rd reading • Representative Lindholm

Corrected, Failed

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for verifying the identity of purchasers buying nicotine products remotely.

  • Adds a new clause (iii) that requires the purchaser's identity to be verified according to specific federal regulations, but modifies references within those regulations to fit the context of selling nicotine products.
  • The amendment assumes familiarity with 31 CFR 1020.220(a)(2), which may not be clear without additional explanation.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect existing verification processes for nicotine product sales.
SF0042HW001

Committee of the Whole • Representative Zwonitzer

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment modifies the list of nicotine products by adding electronic cigarettes and vapor materials to it.

  • Adds 'electronic cigarettes and vapor material' to the definition of nicotine products.
  • The exact impact on existing regulations or penalties is not specified in this amendment text.
SF0042SW001

Committee of the Whole • Senator Ellis

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the term 'tobacco product' to 'nicotine product' in several places, modifies a definition paragraph, and adds new language about nicotine products.

  • Replaces 'tobacco product' with 'nicotine product' at multiple points in the bill.
  • Modifies the structure of a definition section by removing unnecessary words and adding new paragraphs.
  • Adds a new definition for 'nicotine products', including electronic cigarettes.
  • The amendment text does not provide full context, so some details about how these changes affect the bill's overall requirements are unclear.
SF0042SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Revenue Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds the term 'synthetic nicotine' to the bill's provisions about age verification and shipping requirements for nicotine products.

  • Adds 'or synthetic nicotine' after the word 'nicotine' in two places on pages 4 and 5 of the bill.
  • The amendment does not provide details on what constitutes 'synthetic nicotine', leaving some ambiguity about which products are covered by the new language.

Bill History

  1. 2020-03-13 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 86

  2. 2020-03-13 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0054

  3. 2020-03-12 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0054

  4. 2020-03-12 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0054

  5. 2020-03-11 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0054

  6. 2020-03-11 Senate

    S Concur:Passed 24-2-4-0-0

  7. 2020-03-11 Senate

    S Received for Concurrence

  8. 2020-03-11 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 44-15-1-0-0

  9. 2020-03-10 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  10. 2020-03-09 House

    H COW:Passed

  11. 2020-02-27 House

    H Placed on General File

  12. 2020-02-27 House

    H03 - Revenue:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-1-1-0

  13. 2020-02-24 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H03 - Revenue

  14. 2020-02-20 House

    H Received for Introduction

  15. 2020-02-19 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 30-0-0-0-0

  16. 2020-02-18 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  17. 2020-02-17 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  18. 2020-02-13 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  19. 2020-02-13 Senate

    S03 - Revenue:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0

  20. 2020-02-11 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S03 - Revenue 29-0-1-0-0

  21. 2020-02-10 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  22. 2020-01-17 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 20LSO-0280
Bill No.:

SF0042

Effective:

7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM

LSO No.:

20LSO-0280

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0054

Chapter No.:

86

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Revenue Interim Committee

Catch Title:

Nicotine products–age verification and shipping.

Subject:

Remote sales of nicotine products requirements.

Summary/Major Elements:

The act requires internet or other remote sales of nicotine products to use an age verification system that utilizes public records to verify that the purchaser is twenty-one (21) years of age or older.

The act also requires internet or other remote sales of nicotine products to use a mailing or shipping method that requires the signature of a person who is twenty-one (21) years of age or older upon delivery of the nicotine product.

Violation of the act by a remote seller is a misdemeanor punishable in the same manner as unauthorized sales of nicotine products within the state.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent. While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
20LSO-0280

ORIGINAL Senate

ENGROSSED
File No
.
SF0042

ENROLLED ACT NO. 54,

SENATE

SIXTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2020 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to nicotine products; requiring age verification for remote sales of nicotine products; specifying shipping requirements for nicotine products; modifying definitions related to nicotine products; providing penalties; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 14
‑
3
‑
309 is created to read:

14
‑
3
‑
309.

Regulation of mail order and internet purchases and sales; proof of age; penalties.

(a)

No person shall sell at retail or wholesale any nicotine product through the internet or any other remote sales method to any person in this state, other than a vendor licensed under W.S. 39
‑
15
‑
106, unless the seller performs an age verification on the purchaser through an independent third party age verification service. The age verification service utilized shall compare information available from public records to the personal information entered by the purchaser during the ordering process to establish that the purchaser is twenty
‑
one (21) years of age or older.

(b)

No person shall sell at retail or wholesale any nicotine product through the internet or any other remote sales method to any person in this state, other than a vendor licensed under W.S. 39
‑
15
‑
106, unless the seller uses a method of mailing or shipping that, upon delivery, requires the signature of a person at least twenty
‑
one (21) years of age before the nicotine product will be released for delivery.

(c)

The provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall not apply if the seller employs one (1) of the following protections to ensure age verification:

(i)

The purchaser is required to create an online profile or account with personal information verifying that the purchaser is at least twenty
‑
one (21) years of age including, but not limited to, the purchaser's name, address and a valid phone number, if that personal information is verified by the seller through publicly available records and delivery is made to the same name and address; or

(ii)

The purchaser is required to upload a copy of the purchaser's government issued identification and a current photograph of the purchaser verifying that the purchaser is at least twenty
‑
one (21) years of age and delivery is made to the same name on the identification provided.

(d)

Any person violating subsection (a) or (b) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in W.S. 14
‑
3
‑
302(b).

Section 2
.

W.S. 14
‑
3
‑
301(a)(i), (v) and by creating new paragraphs (vi) and (vii) and 14
‑
3
‑
302(b)(intro) are amended to read:

14
‑
3
‑
301.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in this article:

(i)

"Tobacco products" means any substance containing tobacco leaf, or any product made or derived from tobacco that contains nicotine
,
including, but not
limited to, cigarettes,
electronic cigarettes,
cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco or dipping tobacco;

(v)

"Electronic cigarette" means
a product that employs any mechanical heating element, battery or electronic circuit, regardless of shape or size, that can be used to deliver doses of nicotine vapor by means of heating a liquid nicotine solution contained in a cartridge or other delivery system.
any device that can be used to deliver aerosolized or vaporized nicotine or synthetic nicotine material to the person using the device and includes any component, part and accessory of the device and any vapor material intended to be aerosolized or vaporized during the use of the device. "Electronic cigarette" includes, without limitation, any electronic cigar, electronic cigarillo, electronic pipe, electronic hooka, vapor pen and any similar product or device. "Electronic cigarette" does not include a battery or battery charger if sold separately from the electronic cigarette and does not include any product regulated as a drug or device by the United States food and drug administration under subchapter V of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act;

(vi)

"Nicotine products" means tobacco products and electronic cigarettes;

(vii)

"Vapor material" means any liquid solution or other material containing nicotine or synthetic nicotine that is depleted as an electronic cigarette is used. "Vapor material" includes liquid solution or other material containing nicotine that is sold with or inside an electronic cigarette.

14
‑
3
‑
302.

Prohibited sales or delivery.

(b)

Any individual violating
W.S. 14
‑
3
‑
309 or
subsection (a) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than:

Section 3.

This act is effective July 1, 2020
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1