Texas Senate bill by Sen. Cook restricts e-cigarette ads near schools and churches

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Molly Cook aims to align e-cigarette advertising restrictions with those for tobacco products by limiting ads near schools and churches, focusing on public health protection, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 11 Democrats and 14 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while five Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, 61 Democrats and 87 Republicans voted in favor, with no opposing votes.

Molly Cook introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Friday, Feb. 14, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Cook graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013 with a BS.

Cook, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2024 to represent the state’s 15th Senate district, replacing previous state senator John Whitmire.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to a prohibition on e-cigarette advertising in certain locations’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Health and Safety Code to prohibit e-cigarette advertising within 1,000 feet of churches or schools, aligning the restrictions with existing rules for cigarette and tobacco product advertisements. The distance is measured from the nearest property line of the church or school to the closest point on a street or highway where the advertisement is located. Signs that were in place before Sept. 1, 1997, and are within 500 to 1,000 feet of such institutions are exempt from the new restriction. The bill is set to take effect on Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Charles Perry (Republican – District 28), Sen. Paul Bettencourt (Republican – District 7), and Sen. Juan Hinojosa (Democrat – District 20), along with six other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 7, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday, May 21.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.