E-Cigarette, Shark Finning Bills Sent To DeSantis For Approval

WUSF

Published September 7, 2020 at 7:34 AM EDT

A final batch of 26 bills approved by the House and Senate during the 2020 legislative session was sent Friday to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The measures range from a revamp of the state’s specialty license-plate system (HB 1135) to putting additional teeth into the fight against shark finning (SB 680) and trying to curb electronic-cigarette use by teens (SB 810).

DeSantis will have 15 days to sign, veto or allow any of the measures to become law without his signature.

DeSantis has signed 177 bills into law from the session, including a $92.2 billion budget (HB 5001), and vetoed three measures. Most of the bills, including the budget, went into effect with the July 1 start of the fiscal year.

The e-cigarette legislation would identify e-cigarettes and vaping products as “tobacco products.” It would raise the age to purchase any tobacco products --- including tobacco cigarettes, dip and chew, as well as e-cigarettes --- from 18 to 21.

The shark finning proposal would expand a 2017 law that increased penalties for people who remove fins from sharks and discard the rest of the sharks into the ocean.

The changes to the specialty license-plate program allow new plates to get on the road if supporters can meet higher sales thresholds, while bumping some low sellers from the road. It would allow plates for the University of Alabama, the University of Georgia and Auburn University.