Connecticut 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB05305 Latest Draft

Bill / Comm Sub Version Filed 03/04/2021

                             
 
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General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 5305  
January Session, 2021 
LCO No. 1097 
 
 
Referred to Committee on GENERAL LAW  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(GL)  
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING TO BACCO BARS.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 19a-342 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 2 
(a) As used in this section, "smoke" or "smoking" means the lighting 3 
or carrying of a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe or similar device.  4 
(b) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 31-40q, no person 5 
shall smoke: (A) In any building or portion of a building, partially 6 
enclosed shelter on a rail platform or bus shelter owned and operated 7 
or leased and operated by the state or any political subdivision thereof; 8 
(B) in any area of a health care institution; (C) in any area of a retail food 9 
store; (D) in any restaurant; (E) in any area of an establishment with a 10 
permit issued for the sale of alcoholic liquor pursuant to section 30-20a, 11 
30-21, 30-21b, 30-22, 30-22c, 30-28, 30-28a, 30-33a, 30-33b, 30-35a, 30-37a, 12 
30-37e or 30-37f, in any area of an establishment with a permit for the 13 
sale of alcoholic liquor pursuant to section 30-23 issued after May 1, 14 
2003, and, on and after April 1, 2004, in any area of an establishment 15  Raised Bill No. 5305 
 
 
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with a permit issued for the sale of alcoholic liquor pursuant to section 16 
30-22a or 30-26 or the bar area of a bowling establishment holding a 17 
permit pursuant to subsection (a) of section 30-37c; (F) within a school 18 
building or on the grounds of such school; (G) within a child care facility 19 
or on the grounds of such child care facility, except, if the child care 20 
facility is a family child care home, as defined in section 19a-77, such 21 
smoking is prohibited only when a child enrolled in such home is 22 
present; (H) in any passenger elevator, provided no person shall be 23 
arrested for violating this subsection unless there is posted in such 24 
elevator a sign which indicates that smoking is prohibited by state law; 25 
(I) in any dormitory in any public or private institution of higher 26 
education; or (J) on and after April 1, 2004, in any area of a dog race track 27 
or a facility equipped with screens for the simulcasting of off-track 28 
betting race programs or jai alai games. For purposes of this subsection, 29 
"restaurant" means space, in a suitable and permanent building, kept, 30 
used, maintained, advertised and held out to the public to be a place 31 
where meals are regularly served to the public, "school" has the same 32 
meaning as provided in section 10-154a and "child care facility" has the 33 
same meaning as provided in section 19a-342a, as amended by this act. 34 
(2) This section shall not apply to (A) correctional facilities; (B) 35 
designated smoking areas in psychiatric facilities; (C) public housing 36 
projects, as defined in subsection (b) of section 21a-278a; (D) any 37 
classroom where demonstration smoking is taking place as part of a 38 
medical or scientific experiment or lesson; (E) smoking rooms provided 39 
by employers for employees, pursuant to section 31 -40q; (F) 40 
notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (E) of subdivision (1) 41 
of this subsection, the outdoor portion of the premises of any permittee 42 
listed in subparagraph (E) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, 43 
provided, in the case of any seating area maintained for the service of 44 
food, at least seventy-five per cent of the outdoor seating capacity is an 45 
area in which smoking is prohibited and which is clearly designated 46 
with written signage as a nonsmoking area, except that any temporary 47 
seating area established for special events and not used on a regular 48 
basis shall not be subject to the smoking prohibition or signage 49  Raised Bill No. 5305 
 
 
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requirements of this subparagraph; (G) any medical research site where 50 
smoking is integral to the research being conducted; or (H) any tobacco 51 
bar, provided [no tobacco bar shall expand in size or change its location 52 
from its size or location as of December 31, 2002] a tobacco bar that first 53 
begins operating on or after October 1, 2021, shall (i) be located in a 54 
stand-alone building, (ii) have a walk-in humidor on the premises, (iii) 55 
not be located within a five-mile radius of any existing tobacco bar, or 56 
(iv) if such tobacco bar is connected to another building, use its own 57 
heating, ventilation or air conditioning system to prevent the 58 
comingling of air. For purposes of this subdivision, "outdoor" means an 59 
area which has no roof or other ceiling enclosure, "tobacco bar" means 60 
an establishment with a permit for the sale of alcoholic liquor to 61 
consumers issued pursuant to chapter 545 that, (I) in the calendar year 62 
ending December 31, 2002, generated ten per cent or more of its total 63 
annual gross income from the on-site sale of tobacco products and the 64 
rental of on-site humidors, or (II) for any tobacco bar that first begins 65 
operating on or after October 1, 2021, generates fifty-one per cent or 66 
more of its total annual gross income in a calendar year from the on-site 67 
sale of tobacco products and the rental of on-site humidors, and "tobacco 68 
product" means any substance that contains tobacco, including, but not 69 
limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco or chewing tobacco. 70 
(c) The operator of a hotel, motel or similar lodging may allow guests 71 
to smoke in not more than twenty-five per cent of the rooms offered as 72 
accommodations to guests. 73 
(d) In each room, elevator, area or building in which smoking is 74 
prohibited by this section, the person in control of the premises shall 75 
post or cause to be posted in a conspicuous place signs stating that 76 
smoking is prohibited by state law. Such signs, except in elevators, 77 
restaurants, establishments with permits to sell alcoholic liquor to 78 
consumers issued pursuant to chapter 545, hotels, motels or similar 79 
lodgings, and health care institutions, shall have letters at least four 80 
inches high with the principal strokes of letters not less than one-half 81 
inch wide. 82  Raised Bill No. 5305 
 
 
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(e) Any person found guilty of smoking in violation of this section, 83 
failure to post signs as required by this section or the unauthorized 84 
removal of such signs shall have committed an infraction. Nothing in 85 
this section shall be construed to require the person in control of a 86 
building to post such signs in every room of a building, provided such 87 
signs are posted in a conspicuous place in such building. 88 
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any smoking 89 
area in any building. 90 
(g) The provisions of this section shall supersede and preempt the 91 
provisions of any municipal law or ordinance relative to smoking 92 
effective prior to, on or after October 1, 1993.  93 
Sec. 2. Section 19a-342a of the general statutes is repealed and the 94 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 95 
(a) As used in this section and section 2 of public act 15-206: 96 
(1) "Child care facility" means a provider of child care services as 97 
defined in section 19a-77, or a person or entity required to be licensed 98 
under section 17a-145; 99 
(2) "Electronic nicotine delivery system" has the same meaning as 100 
provided in section 21a-415; 101 
(3) "Liquid nicotine container" means a container that holds a liquid 102 
substance containing nicotine that is sold, marketed or intended for use 103 
in an electronic nicotine delivery system or vapor product, except 104 
"liquid nicotine container" does not include such a container that is 105 
prefilled and sealed by the manufacturer and not intended to be opened 106 
by the consumer; and 107 
(4) "Vapor product" has the same meaning as provided in section 21a-108 
415. 109 
(b) (1) No person shall use an electronic nicotine delivery system or 110  Raised Bill No. 5305 
 
 
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vapor product: (A) In any building or portion of a building owned and 111 
operated or leased and operated by the state or any political subdivision 112 
thereof; (B) in any area of a health care institution; (C) in any area of a 113 
retail food store; (D) in any restaurant; (E) in any area of an 114 
establishment with a permit issued for the sale of alcoholic liquor 115 
pursuant to section 30-20a, 30-21, 30-21b, 30-22, 30-22a, 30-22c, 30-26, 30-116 
28, 30-28a, 30-33a, 30-33b, 30-35a, 30-37a, 30-37e or 30-37f, in any area of 117 
establishment with a permit issued for the sale of alcoholic liquor 118 
pursuant to section 30-23 issued after May 1, 2003, or the bar area of a 119 
bowling establishment holding a permit pursuant to subsection (a) of 120 
section 30-37c; (F) within a school building or on the grounds of such 121 
school; (G) within a child care facility or on the grounds of such child 122 
care facility, except, if the child care facility is a family child care home 123 
as defined in section 19a-77, such use is prohibited only when a child 124 
enrolled in such home is present; (H) in any passenger elevator, 125 
provided no person shall be arrested for violating this subsection unless 126 
there is posted in such elevator a sign which indicates that such use is 127 
prohibited by state law; (I) in any dormitory in any public or private 128 
institution of higher education; or (J) in any area of a dog race track or a 129 
facility equipped with screens for the simulcasting of off-track betting 130 
race programs or jai alai games. For purposes of this subsection, 131 
"restaurant" means space, in a suitable and permanent building, kept, 132 
used, maintained, advertised and held out to the public to be a place 133 
where meals are regularly served to the public, and "school" has the 134 
same meaning as provided in section 10-154a. 135 
(2) This section shall not apply to (A) correctional facilities; (B) 136 
designated smoking areas in psychiatric facilities; (C) public housing 137 
projects, as defined in subsection (b) of section 21a-278a; (D) any 138 
classroom where a demonstration of the use of an electronic nicotine 139 
delivery system or vapor product is taking place as part of a medical or 140 
scientific experiment or lesson; (E) any medical research site where the 141 
use of an electronic nicotine delivery system or vapor product is integral 142 
to the research being conducted; (F) establishments without a permit for 143 
the sale of alcoholic liquor that sell electronic nicotine delivery systems, 144  Raised Bill No. 5305 
 
 
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vapor products or liquid nicotine containers on-site and allow their 145 
customers to use such systems, products or containers on-site; (G) 146 
smoking rooms provided by employers for employees, pursuant to 147 
section 31-40q; (H) notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (E) 148 
of subdivision (1) of this subsection, the outdoor portion of the premises 149 
of any permittee listed in subparagraph (E) of subdivision (1) of this 150 
subsection, provided, in the case of any seating area maintained for the 151 
service of food, at least seventy-five per cent of the outdoor seating 152 
capacity is an area in which smoking is prohibited and which is clearly 153 
designated with written signage as a nonsmoking area, except that any 154 
temporary seating area established for special events and not used on a 155 
regular basis shall not be subject to the prohibition on the use of an 156 
electronic nicotine delivery system or vapor product or the signage 157 
requirements of this subparagraph; or (I) any tobacco bar, provided [no 158 
tobacco bar shall expand in size or change its location from its size or 159 
location as of October 1, 2015] a tobacco bar that first begins operating 160 
on or after October 1, 2021, shall (i) be located in a stand-alone building, 161 
(ii) have a walk-in humidor on the premises, (iii) not be located within 162 
a three-mile radius of any existing tobacco bar, unless allowed pursuant 163 
to municipal zoning, or (iv) if such tobacco bar is connected to another 164 
building, use its own heating, ventilation or air conditioning system to 165 
prevent the comingling of air. For purposes of this subdivision, 166 
"outdoor" means an area which has no roof or other ceiling enclosure, 167 
"tobacco bar" means an establishment with a permit for the sale of 168 
alcoholic liquor to consumers issued pursuant to chapter 545 that, (I) in 169 
the calendar year ending December 31, 2015, generated ten per cent or 170 
more of its total annual gross income from the on-site sale of tobacco 171 
products and the rental of on-site humidors, or (II) for any tobacco bar 172 
that first begins operating on or after October 1, 2021, generates fifty-173 
one per cent or more of its total annual gross income in a calendar year 174 
from the on-site sale of tobacco products and the rental of on-site 175 
humidors, and "tobacco product" means any substance that contains 176 
tobacco, including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco or 177 
chewing tobacco. 178  Raised Bill No. 5305 
 
 
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(c) The operator of a hotel, motel or similar lodging may allow guests 179 
to use an electronic nicotine delivery system or vapor product in not 180 
more than twenty-five per cent of the rooms offered as accommodations 181 
to guests. 182 
(d) In each room, elevator, area or building in which the use of an 183 
electronic nicotine delivery system or vapor product is prohibited by 184 
this section, the person in control of the premises shall post or cause to 185 
be posted in a conspicuous place signs stating that such use is prohibited 186 
by state law. Such signs, except in elevators, restaurants, establishments 187 
with permits to sell alcoholic liquor to consumers issued pursuant to 188 
chapter 545, hotels, motels or similar lodgings, and health care 189 
institutions, shall have letters at least four inches high with the principal 190 
strokes of letters not less than one-half inch wide. 191 
(e) Any person found guilty of using an electronic nicotine delivery 192 
system or vapor product in violation of this section, failure to post signs 193 
as required by this section or the unauthorized removal of such signs 194 
shall have committed an infraction. 195 
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the 196 
designation of any area for the use of electronic nicotine delivery system 197 
or vapor product in any building. 198 
(g) The provisions of this section shall supersede and preempt the 199 
provisions of any municipal law or ordinance relative to the use of an 200 
electronic nicotine delivery system or vapor product effective prior to, 201 
on or after October 1, 2015. 202 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 October 1, 2021 19a-342 
Sec. 2 October 1, 2021 19a-342a 
 
GL Joint Favorable