Maryland HB 1318: Alcoholic Beverages - Premium Cigar Lounge License - Establishment (Maryland Premium Cigar Lounge Act of 2025)

Bill Text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW. 
        [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. 
           *hb1318*   
  
HOUSE BILL 1318 
A1   5lr3047 
    CF SB 934 
By: Delegates A. Johnson, Boafo, Harris, Pruski, and Spiegel 
Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025 
Assigned to: Economic Matters 
 
A BILL ENTITLED 
 
AN ACT concerning 1 
 
Alcoholic Beverages – Premium Cigar Lounge License – Establishment 2 
(Maryland Premium Cigar Lounge Act of 2025) 3 
 
FOR the purpose of establishing a Class C–PCL (premium cigar lounge) alcoholic beverages 4 
license  for  use  in  conjunction  with  a  certain  tobacco  products retailer  license; 5 
authorizing  a  local  licensing  board  to  issue  the  license; exempting a holder  of the 6 
license from the Clean Indoor Air Act; altering a certain period of time during which 7 
a local alcoholic  beverages  license  may not be  issued  to  a  certain  tobacconist;  and 8 
generally relating to premium cigar lounge alcoholic beverages licenses. 9 
 
BY adding to 10 
 Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 11 
Section 4–1002 12 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 13 
 (2024 Replacement Volume) 14 
 
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 15 
 Article – Health – General 16 
Section 24–504 17 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 18 
 (2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19 
 
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20 
 Article – Health – General 21 
Section 24–505 22 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 23 
 (2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 24 
 
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 25 
 Chapter 754 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2024 26 
 Section 3 27 

2 HOUSE BILL 1318  
 
 
 
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 1 
 Chapter 755 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2024 2 
 Section 3 3 
 
 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4 
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5 
 
Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 6 
 
4–1002. 7 
 
 (A) THERE IS A CLASS C–PCL (PREMIUM CIGAR LOUNGE) LICENSE. 8 
 
 (B) (1) A LOCAL  LICENSING  BOARD  MAY  ISSUE  THE  LICENSE  TO THE 9 
HOLDER OF AN OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS RETAILER LICENSE UNDER § 16.5–204 10 
OF THE BUSINESS REGULATION ARTICLE, IF: 11 
 
   (I) THE HOLDER  OPERATES  AN  ESTABLISHMENT IN WHICH 12 
PREMIUM CIGARS AND PIPE TOBACCO ARE SOLD AT RETAIL FOR ON–PREMISES AND 13 
OFF–PREMISES USE; AND 14 
 
   (II) THE HOLDER MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION. 15 
 
  (2) (I) A LOCAL LICENSING BOARD MAY ISSUE ONE CLASS C–PCL 16 
LICENSE PER 150,000 RESIDENTS OF A COUNTY. 17 
 
   (II) IF  A  COUNTY  HAS  FEWER THAN 150,000 RESIDENTS, A 18 
LOCAL LICENSING BOARD MAY ISSUE ONE CLASS C–PCL LICENSE IN THE COUNTY. 19 
 
 (C) THE  LICENSE  AUTHORIZES  THE  HOLDER  TO  SELL BEER, WINE, AND 20 
LIQUOR  FOR  CONSUMPTION  ON  THE  PREMISES  OF  THE PREMIUM  CIGAR  LOUNGE 21 
MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY FROM 10 A.M. TO 1 A.M. THE FOLLOWING DAY. 22 
 
 (D) (1) THE LICENSED PREMISES IS EXEMPT FROM THE REQUIREMENTS 23 
OF THE CLEAN INDOOR AIR ACT UNDER § 24–505 OF  THE HEALTH – GENERAL 24 
ARTICLE. 25 
 
  (2) A LOCAL LICENSING BOARD SHALL REQUIRE: 26 
 
   (I) A LICENSE  APPLICATION TO  INCLUDE A  BUILDING  PLAN 27 
DEMONSTRATING SUFFICIENT AIR FILTRATION AND EXHAUST; 28 
 

 HOUSE BILL 1318 3 
 
 
   (II) A LICENSE HOLDER TO DISPLAY IN A CONSPICUOUS PLACE 1 
THAT SMOKING IS ALLOWED ON THE PREMISES; AND 2 
 
   (III) ANY  EMPLOYEE  OF  A  LICENSED  ESTABLISHMENT TO  SIGN 3 
AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT THE EMPLOYEE WILL BE SUBJECTED TO SECONDHAND 4 
SMOKE. 5 
 
 (E) THE LICENSE HOLDER SHALL: 6 
 
  (1) HAVE AVERAGE  DAILY  RECEIPTS  FROM  THE  SALE  OF PREMIUM 7 
CIGARS, PIPE  TOBACCO, AND  RELATED  ACCESSORIES  THAT  ARE  AT  LEAST 60% OF 8 
THE TOTAL DAILY RECEIPTS FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT; AND 9 
 
  (2) ANNUALLY SUBMIT   TO   THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR   AND   THE 10 
LOCAL  LICENSING  BOARD, IN A  FORM  THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR  REQUIRES, A 11 
SALES RATIO COMPLIANCE REPORT. 12 
 
 (F) THE ANNUAL LICENSE FEE IS $2,000. 13 
 
Article – Health – General 14 
 
24–504. 15 
 
 Except  as  provided  in  §  24–505  of  this  subtitle,  beginning  on  February  1,  2008,  a 16 
person may not smoke or vape in: 17 
 
  (1) An indoor area open to the public; 18 
 
  (2) An indoor place in which meetings are open to the public in accordance 19 
with Title 3 of the General Provisions Article; 20 
 
  (3) A   government–owned   or   government–operated   means   of   mass 21 
transportation including buses, vans, trains, taxicabs, and limousines; or 22 
 
  (4) An indoor place of employment. 23 
 
24–505. 24 
 
 This subtitle does not apply to: 25 
 
  (1) Private homes, residences, including residences used as a business or 26 
place  of  employment,  unless  being used  by  a  person  who  is  licensed  or  registered  under 27 
Title  5,  Subtitle  5  of  the  Family  Law  Article  to  provide  child  care,  and  private  vehicles, 28 
unless be