Contact:
Mara Powell
mpowell@kyyouth.org

Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates

LOUISVILLE, KY – Kids won today in the Kentucky House when members supported passage of House Bill 11, sponsored by Representative Rebecca Raymer. As youth vaping continues to be a concern among Kentucky families and communities, this bill takes important steps to reduce youth access and limit initiation of addictive nicotine products.

Provisions of this bill will provide a more complete understanding of the retail landscape by creating a database of tobacco and nicotine product retailers, which is a critical first step to ensure that bad actors selling to underage kids are penalized. But the ability to hold retailers accountable for responsibly selling tobacco and nicotine products relies on regular compliance checks for underage sales violations.

Youth have been targeted with flavored vape products and can quickly become dependent, but there are opportunities to stop this cycle. As HB 11 advances, we hope this bill can go even further by ensuring that regular compliance checks are included in statute. We thank Representative Raymer for championing HB 11 and urge the Senate to ensure final passage within these final days of the 2024 session.

Stay up-to-date on Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities and other bills that are good for kids on our Kentucky General Assembly Bill Tracker.

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About Kentucky Youth Advocates
Kentucky Youth Advocates believes all children deserve to be safe, healthy, and secure. As THE independent voice for Kentucky’s children, we work to ensure policymakers create investments and policies that are good for children. Learn more at www.kyyouth.org.