Sec. 12-295a. Purchase by, or sale to, minors. Penalties. Suspension of licenses. Appeals. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 12-295a. Purchase by, or sale to, minors. Penalties. Suspension of licenses. Appeals. (a) If the Commissioner of Revenue Services finds, after a hearing, that a minor has purchased cigarettes or tobacco products, said commissioner shall assess such minor a civil penalty of not more than one hundred dollars for the first violation and not more than one hundred fifty dollars for any second or subsequent offense.

      (b) If said commissioner finds, after a hearing, that any person employed by a dealer or distributor, as defined in section 12-285, has sold, given or delivered cigarettes or tobacco products to a minor other than a minor who is delivering or accepting delivery in his capacity as an employee, said commissioner shall assess such person a civil penalty of two hundred dollars for the first violation and two hundred fifty dollars for a second or subsequent violation within eighteen months.

      (c) If said commissioner finds, after a hearing, that any dealer or distributor has sold, given or delivered cigarettes or tobacco products to a minor other than a minor who is delivering or accepting delivery in his capacity as an employee, or such dealer or distributor's employee has sold, given or delivered cigarettes or tobacco products to such minor, said commissioner shall assess such dealer or distributor a civil penalty of three hundred dollars for the first violation and seven hundred fifty dollars for a second violation within eighteen months. For a third violation within eighteen months, such dealer or distributor shall be assessed a civil penalty of seven hundred fifty dollars and any license held by such dealer or distributor under this chapter shall be suspended for not less than thirty days.

      (d) If said commissioner finds, after a hearing, that any owner of an establishment in which a cigarette vending machine or restricted cigarette vending machine is located has sold, given or delivered cigarettes or tobacco products from any such machine to a minor other than a minor who is delivering or accepting delivery in his capacity as an employee, or has allowed cigarettes or tobacco products to be sold, given or delivered to such minor from any such machine, said commissioner shall assess such owner a civil penalty of five hundred dollars for the first violation and seven hundred fifty dollars for a second violation within eighteen months. For a third violation within eighteen months, such owner shall be assessed a civil penalty of seven hundred fifty dollars and any such machine shall be immediately removed from such establishment and no such machine may be placed in such establishment for a period of one year following such removal.

      (e) Any person aggrieved by any action of the commissioner pursuant to this section may take any appeal of such action as provided in sections 12-311 and 12-312.

      (P.A. 96-240, S. 6, 10; P.A. 07-175, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 96-240 effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 07-175 raised amounts of civil penalties in Subsecs. (a) to (d) and made technical changes in Subsec. (d).