A bill to prevent the over-the-counter sale of e-cigarettes and alternative nicotine products to minors got the nod in Thursday’s meeting of the Legislature’s Health, Hospitals, Human Services and Veterans’ Affairs Committee held at the Legislature building on St. Croix. The committee also considered three other bills.
The e-cigarette bill’s sponsor, Sen. Sammuel Sanes, said the sale of the battery-operated electronic cigarettes is spreading and that they contain substances that are harmful.
Dr. Marc Jerome of the Health Department said e-cigarettes are nicotine-based and “should not be in the hands of minors.”
“This is a preventative care bill,” said Sen. Diane Capehart, who is not a committee member but sat in for part of the meeting.
Licensing and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Wayne L. Biggs said his department would launch a campaign to let store owners know that they can no longer sell e-cigarettes to minors.
Biggs suggested that the fine for selling cigarettes and when the bill is signed into law, e-cigarettes, to minors be raised from $500 to $1,000.
In addition to Sanes, Sens. Craig Barshinger, Kenneth L. Gittens and Clarence Payne voted yes. Sen. Terrence “Positive” Nelson was absent when the vote was taken. Sens. Alicia “Chucky” Hansen and Tregenza Roach were absent for the day.
Several senators said that the bill to allow pharmacists to administer vaccines would bring the territory inline with the mainland, where the practice is common.
“In all 50 states and Puerto Rico, this is being done,” said Sanes, who sponsored the bill.
Sanes offered an amendment that called for a training program for pharmacists who plan to administer vaccines. The amendment also indicated the pharmacists must comply with privacy standards.
Barshinger, Gittens, Payne and Sanes voted yes. Nelson hadn’t yet arrived when the vote was taken but later complained that his colleagues rushed the bill through, even though it had a thorough airing at a previous committee meeting.
The bill to change the wording in the V.I. Code from physically disabled children to children with physical disabilities and intellectually disabled children to children with intellectual disabilities garnered a lot of discussion by the senators.
“It puts more emphasis on the individual rather than the disability,” said Sanes, who sponsored the bill.
An amendment offered by Sanes also changes the language in the territory’s Civil Rights laws to prevent discrimination because the person has a disability.
He said there is a stigma associated with people who have disabilities and the bill seeks to help change that.
“This is cosmetic and I don’t like to feed people crumbs,” said Sen. Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly, who is not a committee member.
Yvonne Petersen, who heads the territory’s V.I. Developmental Disabilities Council, said the bill was a “baby step,” but that the council was working toward educating people on the laws concerning people with disabilities.
Petersen said the council was revitalized only in 2012 by Government House and it would take some time to get it fully functional.
Barshinger, Gittens, Nelson, Payne and Sanes voted yes.
After much discussion, the senators agreed to hold a bill that strengthens licensing of physical therapists because the legislation needs more work. No one objected to a motion to hold the bill.
All the approved bills now go to the Rules Committee for consideration by its members.
Sen. Judi Buckley also put in an appearance at the meeting. Buckley is not a committee member and did not vote.
