Bill To Raise Indiana's Smoking Age Doomed By Procedural Move

By Mike Perleberg (Indianapolis, Ind.) – A day after the bill passed a House committee, Speaker Brian Bosma essentially killed a bill to raise Indiana’s tobacco purchasing age. House Bill 1380 passed the House Public Health Committee on a 9-0 vote on Monday. On Tuesday, Bosma (R-Indianapolis) used a parliamentary maneuver to scuttle the idea. He assigned it to the Ways and Means Committee a day before the deadline for committees to pass bills. The proposal by State Rep. Charlie Brown (R-Gary) would have increased the age to buy a pack of cigarettes from 18 up to 21. Bosma told The Indianapolis Star that his maneuver on HB 1380 has been inaccurately depicted. “It was actually following our rules, which would generally require a measure of this magnitude to be examined by the folks who are in charge of balancing our state’s budget,” Bosma said. Advocates say Indiana needs to make it tougher for young people to start smoking. More than 21 percent of Indiana adults smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says nearly all smokers start the habit before they reach the age of 26. The American Lung Association has suggested Indiana take steps to reduce the impact of smoking, including raising the smoking age to 21, raising the tax on tobacco products, and outlawing smoking at bars and casinos. RELATED STORIES: Indiana Lawmakers Ask To Raise Smoking Age To 21