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SB 228 Connecticut Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING LIQUOR PERMITS AND TOBACCO BARS.

SB 228 updates rules for tobacco bars seeking liquor permits by establishing new requirements for qualifying as a "cafe" under liquor regulations. It requires new tobacco bars (operating on or after January 1, 2003) to generate at least 60% of annual gross sales from tobacco products, be located in municipalities with 40,000+ population, install built-in humidors, meet strict ventilation standards (60 CFM/person with outdoor air exchange), and provide health coverage for employees. The bill also clarifies that smoking is prohibited in tobacco bars holding liquor permits, aligning them with existing smoking bans for restaurants and similar establishments. This directly affects tobacco bar owners seeking or renewing liquor permits in qualifying municipalities.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 18, 2026 Last action Mar 25, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → GL Joint Favorable Substitute · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was reclassified from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill', indicating it has been amended and approved by a joint committee. The most significant policy change extends the eligibility date for new tobacco bars from 2022 to 2025, allowing more businesses to qualify for the exemption. Additionally, the minimum population requirement for a municipality to host a tobacco bar was lowered from 80,000 to 40,000 residents, expanding the geographic scope of the law.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to include municipalities with populations between 40,000 and 80,000 and to include tobacco bars that commence operations between 2003 and 2025.
TIMELINE

The deadline for tobacco bars to commence operations to qualify for the exemption was extended from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2025.

ELIGIBILITY

The minimum population requirement for a municipality to contain a tobacco bar was reduced from 80,000 to 40,000 residents.

TECHNICAL

Removed bracketed editorial text and formatting artifacts from the original draft, cleaning up the language for the final version.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON General Law
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.