STOP Act
Latest action · Apr 13, 2015 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 13, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Smuggled Tobacco Prevention Act of 2015 or the STOP Act
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restrict the sale, lease, export or import, or delivery of tobacco production machines to persons lawfully engaged in: (1) the sale, lease, export or import, or delivery of such machines; (2) the manufacture or packaging of tobacco products or processed tobacco; or (3) the application of unique identification markings onto tobacco products or processed tobacco packages. Requires every person having possession or control of such machines to register them immediately with the Department of the Treasury upon installation. Defines "tobacco production machine" as a machine used to manufacture or package tobacco products or processed tobacco or to apply unique identification markings or other tax-payment indicia to packages of tobacco products or processed tobacco. Extends record keeping requirements to wholesalers and retailers of tobacco products and processed tobacco.
Requires manufacturers and importers of tobacco products to affix a unique identification marking to each package of tobacco products or processed tobacco prior to sale or distribution in the United States or prior to export. Directs Treasury to design a system of unique identification markings that does not interfere with state, local, or tribal tax stamps and markings and that provides a unique serial number or tracking code for each tobacco product.
Requires wholesalers of tobacco products to obtain permits for selling or exporting tobacco products.
Establishes new criminal offenses relating to the licensing and distribution of tobacco products or processed tobacco. Increases the civil penalty for tobacco-related infractions from $1,000 to $10,000.
Requires Treasury to coordinate with other federal agencies and officials to prevent and reduce tobacco tax evasion and contraband trafficking in tobacco products and processed tobacco.
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose a civil penalty for the importation of tobacco products and cigarette papers and tubes by fraudulent means.
Provides for the enforcement of this Act in Indian tribal areas.
Cosponsors 37
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 13, 2015 to Jun 9, 2016; 35 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-IL | Daniel Lipinski | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-IA | David Loebsack | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CO | Diana DeGette | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-VA | Gerald E. Connolly | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-RI | James R. Langevin | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-WA | Jim McDermott | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CA | Karen Bass | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CA | Lois Capps | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-IL | Luis V. Gutierrez | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CA | Michael M. Honda | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-MA | Niki Tsongas | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-PR | Pedro R. Pierluisi | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| R-NY | Peter T. King | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CA | Sam Farr | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-CA | Susan A. Davis | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-MI | Sander M. Levin | Sep 8, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Paul Tonko | Jun 9, 2016 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Apr 13, 2015 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 13, 2015Introduced in House
- Apr 13, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 52, April 13, 2015, page H2154.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 114-478 | OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS IN INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT AND EFFORTS TO IMPROVE WATER SECURITY IN HAWAII89 pages | Energy and Natural Resources Committee | Oct 18, 2016 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 450 | Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2015 | Related bill | Feb 11, 2015 |
| S 1129 | Tobacco Tax and Enforcement Reform Act | Related bill | Apr 29, 2015 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce tobacco smuggling, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- STOP Act
- Smuggled Tobacco Prevention Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Taxation.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Business records
- Department of the Treasury
- Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Indian lands and resources rights
- Law enforcement administration and funding
- Licensing and registrations
- Manufacturing
- Retail and wholesale trades
- Sales and excise taxes
- Smuggling and trafficking
- Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
- Taxation
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 13, 2015Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
