•March 20, 2019•
By Rebecca Anzel
Capitol News Illinois
Lawmakers on Tuesday successfully passed a bill through the House raising the age to purchase tobacco products to 21.
The legislation moves to the Senate for a vote expected next week. There it will likely receive enough support to land on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
Although the governor has not definitively indicated whether he supports the measure — which would raise the minimum age to purchase cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco and other products containing nicotine in Illinois — his spokeswoman said in a written statement that Pritzker “looks forward to reviewing the legislation to raise the smoking age.”
And Senate President John Cullerton, a Democrat from Chicago, indicated at a press event in early February that Pritzker would sign the “Tobacco 21” legislation if both chambers approved it first.
The bill’s passage comes as a victory for sponsor Camille Lilly, a Democratic representative from Chicago. This is the fourth time in as many years a version of this measure was introduced in the General Assembly, where historically it would succeed in the Senate only to fail in the House.
During the previous legislative session, both chambers approved “Tobacco 21.” When former Gov. Bruce Rauner did not sign it, only the Senate was able to override his veto. Read More
Bob Dennis