Date: March 19, 2026
To: Chair Aragona and Members of the House Regulatory Reform Committee
From: Rachel Richards, Fiscal Policy & Government Relations Director, Michigan League for Public Policy
Subject: Support for HB 5368-5372 (Wortz, Slagh, Scott, Young) – Protect MI Kids: Strengthen Laws on Youth Tobacco
The Michigan League for Public Policy is pleased to support House Bills 5368-5372 (Wortz, Slagh, Scott, Young), which are part of an important bipartisan package to improve Michigan’s laws that keep harmful tobacco products out of the hands of our youth. Reducing young peoples’ access to tobacco products will help reduce tobacco-related deaths, reduce healthcare costs and improve long-term health outcomes for Michiganders statewide.
The League is a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization that promotes economic opportunity for all and analyzes the impact of public policy and budget decisions on the lives of Michiganders who have been systemically left out of prosperity. The League is also the state’s Kids Count organization, working as a part of a national effort to measure child well-being at the state and local levels and use that information to shape public policies and programs to improve the lives of children and their families.
Despite long-term declines in the percentage of children using tobacco, use of tobacco products — including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaporizing devices and other tobacco products — among Michigan youth remains too high, especially among high school students. Unfortunately, many of these students gain access to tobacco products while in middle school. Michigan students report getting tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes, not only from friends and family but also by purchasing them from convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores and vape shops. And children are bombarded with tobacco products and ads when they go to these stores, watch movies or surf the internet. In all, despite the gains we have made, youth exposure to tobacco products, whether at home, in school or out in the community, remains too widespread and access to tobacco products remains too easy.
These five bills are important parts of a vital package to strengthen Michigan’s laws to stop illegal sales, hold retailers accountable and keep addictive tobacco products out of the hands of our children. House Bills 5368-5370, sponsored by Representatives Wortz and Slagh, will require the licensure and regulation of tobacco retailers, just like we license alcohol and marijuana retailers. Tobacco products are widely available in Michigan, including at tobacco and vape shops, but also at convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations and other shops. This makes it difficult to track and limit the sales of tobacco products in individual communities and statewide. Additionally, Michigan is one of only nine states that does not require a license to sell e-cigarettes, tobacco products (not including e-cigarettes) or both. These bills will allow Michigan to join the majority of states, including all of our Great Lakes neighbors, that require licensing of retailers. By doing so, Michigan would have a deeper ability to track tobacco sales, enforce tobacco laws and reduce access to tobacco products by Michigan’s youth.
House Bills 5371 and 5372, sponsored by Representatives Scott and Young, will repeal the ineffective and inequitable “purchase, use and possession” (PUP) laws that penalize the youths purchasing tobacco products rather than the companies that market and sell them to youths. Penalizing children is not an effective strategy for reducing youth smoking, and PUP laws often disproportionately harm youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth and youth from low-income communities, all of whom are aggressively targeted for tobacco marketing. It is also more challenging to enforce PUP laws than it is to enforce laws that restrict sales to minors. Instead, we should be focusing our enforcement on stopping the illegal sale of these products by retailers to minors. Recent surveys continue to show that the majority of underage kids who try to buy tobacco products are not refused the sale because of their age, meaning that sellers of these products are either not checking to make sure they aren’t selling harmful cigarettes, e-cigarettes or other tobacco products to children or that they are checking but still allow the sale to go through, therefore knowingly selling to underage children.
While these bills will go a long way to bring Michigan in line with other states, especially neighboring ones, we also urge the committee to consider legislation that would increase the taxes on tobacco products (which haven’t been adjusted in years), tax vapor products, and increase dedicated support to tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Michigan is one of only 16 states — and the only state in the Great Lakes region — that does not tax vapor products. Michigan also ranks at the bottom of states — and nowhere near what the Centers for Disease Control recommend — in our state spending on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, and these bills are necessary to ensure sufficient funding for important programs.
We are pleased to support the package and urge the Legislature’s swift action on these bills.
As an automotive state where so many of us spend time traveling in a car, we must uphold the fundamental right to free movement without undue surveillance, where probable cause is not established. House Bills 5492 and 5493 would help protect that right and prevent data from being leaked or abused by requiring judicial warrants to access camera information for criminal cases, limiting data retention to 14 days and providing public reporting on the use of ALPRs. We are pleased to support these bills and urge the Legislature’s swift action.
Maisha Massey is a Detroit native, educator, researcher and advocate committed to creating more equitable experiences for young people and the communities that support them. She currently teaches 11th-grade English Language Arts in Detroit Public Schools Community District and serves as a TeachMichigan Michigan Education Policy Fellow. Maisha holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University, where her research centers the experiences of Black girls in schools. Her work is grounded in the belief that meaningful policy should be informed by the voices and lived experiences of the students, educators and communities most impacted by it.
Betsy Zobl-Tar 
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
