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Montana – [Concluded] Stop the City-by-City March of Flavor Bans, etc. (HB 137)

current status

Bill
Introduced

Passed
House

Passed
Senate

Signed by
Governor

03/16/21 – Hearing, S. Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs, 9:00 AM

For the previous 33 actions, please see the bill page for HB 137.

HB 137, sponsored by Representative Ron Marshall, would prohibit local governments in Montana from enacting their own vaping and nicotine laws that exceed state regulations.

This bill is scheduled for a hearing on
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
9:00 AM
Senate Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs

Please take a moment today and send a message to your state senator urging them to support HB 137.

Probably one of the most important reasons for preempting local regulation of tobacco and nicotine products is the observation that city and town officials are not typically steeped in public health training, nor do they possess backgrounds in science. Afterall, most of the day-to-day work of a city council involves making sure that roads get paved and budgets are balanced. In other words, local officials are typically not trained to make public health policy decisions that have such significant consequences, like banning sales or use of certain nicotine products.

As a result, local governments are at the mercy of experts and activists when it comes to receiving and deliberating over information about any particular issue. In many cases, officials are pressured to rush anti-nicotine regulations through the process by declaring an emergency and side-stepping any drawn out debate on the matter. This is a move informed mostly by emotion over-seasoned with scary out-of-context statistics about youth use.

Preemption can be a remedy to the manipulation of local officials’ feelings about smoking, vaping, and substance use. Restricting decisions about public health regulation to a more deliberative state legislature also provides more opportunities for all stakeholders to have their voices heard.

Read Full Bill Text

Take Action Now!

Take a moment to send a brief message to members of the committee expressing your support for HB 137.

Feel free to include your own story about switching to vaping or another smoke-free alternative to smoking.

Comma delimited email list:

(Copy/paste into the “To” field of your email)

  • steve.fitzpatrick@mtleg.gov, Carlie.Boland@mtleg.gov, vancesd34@gmail.com, Jason.Ellsworth@mtleg.gov, fbbuffalo@yahoo.com, mrmac570@me.com, Bruce.Gillespie@mtleg.gov, Chris.Pope@mtleg.gov, j2thedsmall@gmail.com, cary.smith@mtleg.gov, masween@hotmail.com

LEGISLATOR LOOKUP

Feel free to also share your message with your state senator who may not be on the committee.