Threatened with a looming government shut down due to lack of a budget being in place, the West Virginia House of Delegates has approved an increase in the state tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products such as premium cigars, as well as electronic cigarettes and vapor products. The increase passed by a 63-35 vote with two delegates not voting and two paired votes. After the state Senate approved the bill on Saturday during an extended legislative session focused on getting a 2016-17 budget together and closing an estimated $270 million shortfall, the bill headed to the House of Delegates where it became subject to a number of amendments before heading to a full vote. One of those amendments removed language that would have preempted local governments from regulating or prohibiting tobacco product promotions and sales within stores, as well as regulating or prohibiting activities covered by other parts of the state code in regards to age increases, marketing, and internet and mail order sales. The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia issued a statement saying it feared that the language in the bill could have gone so far as to trigger legal challenges to local clean indoor air regulations and ...
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