1399-ii. Tobacco use prevention and control program. 1. To improve the health, quality of life, and economic well-being of all New York state citizens, there is hereby established within the department a comprehensive statewide tobacco use prevention and control program.
2. The department shall support tobacco use prevention and control activities including, but not limited to:
(a) Community programs to prevent and reduce tobacco use through local involvement and partnerships;
(b) School-based programs to prevent and reduce tobacco use;
(c) Marketing and advertising to discourage tobacco use;
(d) Tobacco cessation programs for youth and adults;
(e) Special projects to reduce the disparities in smoking prevalence among various populations;
(f) Restriction of youth access to tobacco products;
(g) Surveillance of smoking rates; and
(h) Any other activities determined by the commissioner to be necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
Such programs shall be selected by the commissioner through an application process which takes into account whether a program utilizes methods recognized as effective in reducing smoking and tobacco use. Eligible applicants may include, but not be limited to, a health care provider, schools, a college or university, a local public health department, a public health organization, a health care provider organization, association or society, or a professional education organization.
3. (a) There shall be established a tobacco use prevention and control advisory board to advise the commissioner on tobacco use prevention and control issues, including methods to prevent and reduce tobacco use in the state.
(b) The board shall consist of seventeen members who shall be appointed as follows: nine members by the governor; three members by the speaker of the assembly; three members by the temporary president of the senate and one member each by the minority leader of the senate and minority leader of the assembly. Any vacancy or subsequent appointment shall be filled in the same manner and by the same appointing authority as the original appointment. The chairperson of the board shall be designated by the governor from among the members of the board.
(c) The members shall serve for terms of two years commencing on the effective date of this section. Members of the board shall receive no compensation but shall be reimbursed for reasonable travel and other expenses incurred in the performance of their duties hereunder.
(d) The board shall meet as often as it deems necessary, but no less than four times a year. No nominee to the board shall have any past or current affiliation with the tobacco industry or any industry, contractor, agent, or organization that engages in the manufacturing, marketing, distributing, or sale of tobacco products. The board shall be appointed in full within ninety days of the effective date of this section.
(e) The department shall prepare and submit to the board a spending plan for the tobacco use prevention and control program authorized pursuant to the provisions of subdivision one of this section no later than thirty days after the submission of the budget to the legislature.
Last modified: February 3, 2019