ILLINOIS (WAND) – A bill to raise the tobacco purchasing age to 21 years old has passed the Illinois House.
It moved through by an 82-31 margin on Tuesday and now goes to the Illinois Senate for a vote. Former governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a different bill that also would have raised the minimum buying age. House Bill 345 is a matching bill from the 101st Illinois General Assembly.
It's unknown at this point when the Senate will vote on the bill.
Critics have argued changing the purchasing age eats into their personal liberty and hurts small businesses that rely on tobacco sales for income. Rauner had said that raising the tobacco age would “inhibit the choice of consumers”.
The American Lung Association responded to the House passing the bill by encouraging other people to support it, saying HB 345 will protect children, slow down smoking rates, cut down health care costs and save lives.
Rep. Sue Scherer (D) voted in favor of the bill and Rep. Dan Caulkins (R) voted against it.
The full text of the bill is attached to this story as a PDF
