‘Fire Safe’ Cigarette Bill Passes Oklahoma House

Legislation designed to help reduce the number of fires caused by cigarettes, House Bill 3341 by state Rep. Mike Thompson and state Sen. Don Barrington, passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 97-0 vote. It was sent to the Senate for consideration.

The Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act would require retailers to sell only “fire safe” cigarettes, meaning no cigarettes could be sold in Oklahoma unless they have been tested and certified by the manufacturer and are in compliance with the State Fire Marshal’s approved standards for being a fire safe cigarette, according to a statement released by Thompson.

Under the bill, manufacturers would be required to maintain copies of reports on all tests on cigarettes offered for sale for a period of three years and copies would be made available to the state fire marshal and attorney general upon written request. Failure of a manufacturer to provide copies within 60 days of a written request would be subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per day the copies are not made available.

A manufacturer or anyone who sells cigarettes in violation the law would be subject to a penalty of up to $500 for each pack sold; however, the penalty could not exceed $100,000 during any 30-day period.

A retailer who sells cigarettes in violation of the proposed law would be subject to a penalty of up to $500 for each pack sold with a maximum penalty of $25,000 during any 30-day period.

Currently, 22 other states have passed fire safe cigarette legislation.