INDIANAPOLIS The General Assembly has approved legislation intended to prevent minors in Indiana from buying cigarettes over the Internet and to help the state collect taxes due on Web-based tobacco sales.
The Senate voted 48-0 yesterday to accept changes made by the House to Senate Bill 504.
The bill now goes to Gov. Frank O'Bannon, who can sign it, veto it or let it become law without his signature.
His deputy press secretary, Andrew Stoner, said that the governor supports the bill's concepts but that attorneys must review the legislation before O'Bannon makes a decision about it.
"The governor has been very clear about the collection of taxes on remote sales, whether they are over the Internet or from a catalog," Stoner said. "He believes those taxes should be collected. Otherwise, those businesses have an unfair edge over those that are in Indiana."
O'Bannon also supports efforts to deter sales to minors, Stoner said.
SB 504 requires that Web-based companies obtain a signed statement from buyers attesting to their identity and date of birth.
The seller must then verify that the customer is 18 years or older by using government or private databases or identification cards, such as driver's licenses.
The bill also requires the company that ships the cigarettes to verify that the buyer is at least 18 years old.
"We're trying to make sure that underage sales do not occur," said Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, a co-author of the bill.
SB 504 requires that cigarettes be purchased with a personal check, credit card or debit card. The credit card statement also must reflect that the purchase is cigarettes.
Lanane said he hopes that will help parents who might let their children use their credit cards know if cigarettes are bought.