Kansas Senate Bill SB355

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/21/26
• Refer: 1/22/26
• Report Pass: 2/6/26
• Engrossed: 2/13/26
• Refer: 2/13/26

Caption

Regulating the manufacture, wholesale and distribution of electronic cigarettes in this state and establishing licensure of electronic cigarette manufacturers.

Summary

SB 355 expands Kansas’s cigarette and tobacco products regulatory framework to expressly cover electronic cigarettes at multiple points in the supply chain. The bill creates a new licensure requirement for electronic cigarette manufacturers that sell into Kansas, including out-of-state manufacturers shipping products into the state, and requires an application, a $500 fee, and a surety bond. It also amends the Kansas cigarette and tobacco products act to define electronic cigarettes and electronic cigarette manufacturers, and to treat electronic cigarettes similarly to cigarettes and other tobacco products for licensing and distribution purposes. The bill further requires that wholesale transactions for cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and roll-your-own tobacco occur only between properly licensed entities, and it directs manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers to verify the other party’s license before completing a sale. It also updates existing rules for internet, telephone, and mail-order sales by adding age-verification and certification requirements, labeling requirements for shipped cigarette packages, and reporting obligations for retailers selling cigarettes without Kansas tax indicia. The Department of Revenue must publish and maintain lists of active, suspended, and revoked licensees, and violations can trigger misdemeanor or felony penalties depending on the offense and repeat conduct.

Impact

The bill would amend several sections of the Kansas cigarette and tobacco products act to incorporate electronic cigarettes into the state’s tobacco regulatory and tax structure. It adds a new licensing category for electronic cigarette manufacturers, expands definitions of dealer, distributor, retailer, sale, and related terms to include electronic cigarettes, and requires licensed-only transactions across the supply chain. It also strengthens enforcement tools through license verification duties, public license lists, and criminal penalties for violations, while preserving existing cigarette tax-stamp and reporting requirements.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill: it passed Senate Emergency Final Action unanimously, 40-0, as amended. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no recorded debate in the supplied materials to indicate organized opposition or support beyond the final vote. The overall posture of the bill appears regulatory and enforcement-oriented, with broad legislative acceptance.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided committee materials. Based on the bill text, the most likely areas of debate would be the new licensing fee and bond requirement for electronic cigarette manufacturers, the expansion of compliance obligations for wholesalers and retailers, and the increased penalties for violations. The bill also imposes additional verification and reporting duties on businesses selling tobacco products and vaping products, which could be viewed as burdensome by affected industry participants, though no explicit opposition is shown in the record provided.