2015 Oklahoma Statutes
Title 37. Intoxicating Liquors
§37-600.11. Enforcement of act by Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission.

A. The Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission is authorized and empowered to enforce the provisions of Sections 600.1 et seq. of this title. The ABLE Commission shall enforce those provisions in a manner that can reasonably be expected to reduce the extent to which tobacco products or vapor products are sold or distributed to persons under eighteen (18) years of age.

B. The ABLE Commission may consider mitigating or aggravating circumstances involved with the violation of the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco Act when assessing penalties.

C. Any conviction for a violation of a municipal ordinance authorized by the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco Act and any compliance checks by a municipal police officer or a county sheriff pursuant to subsection E of this section shall be reported in writing to the ABLE Commission within thirty (30) days of such conviction or compliance check. Such reports shall be compiled in the manner prescribed by the ABLE Commission.

D. For the purpose of determining second or subsequent violations, both the offenses penalized by the ABLE Commission as administrative fines and the offenses penalized by municipalities and towns and reported to the ABLE Commission, shall be considered together in such determination.

E. Persons under eighteen (18) years of age may be enlisted by the ABLE Commission, a municipality or town, or a county to assist in compliance checks and enforcement; provided, such persons may be used to test compliance only if written parental consent has been provided and the testing is conducted under the direct supervision of the ABLE Commission or conducted by another law enforcement agency if such agency has given written notice to the ABLE Commission in the manner prescribed by the ABLE Commission. Municipalities which have enacted municipal ordinances in accordance with the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco Act may conduct, pursuant to rules of the ABLE Commission, compliance checks without prior notification to the ABLE Commission and shall be exempt from the written notice requirement in this subsection. This subsection shall not apply to the use of persons under eighteen (18) years of age to test compliance if the compliance test is being conducted by or on behalf of a retailer of cigarettes, as defined in Section 301 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes, at any location the retailer of cigarettes is authorized to sell cigarettes. Any other use of persons under eighteen (18) years of age to test compliance shall be unlawful and punishable by the ABLE Commission by assessment of an administrative fine of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00).

F. At the beginning of each month, the Oklahoma Tax Commission, pursuant to Section 205 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes, shall provide to the ABLE Commission and to each municipality which has ordinances concerning the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco Act, the location, name, and address of each licensee licensed to sell tobacco products or vapor products at retail or otherwise furnish tobacco products or vapor products. Upon violation of an employee at a location, the ABLE Commission shall notify the storeowner for that location of the latest and all previous violations when one of their employees has been determined to be in violation of the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco Act by the ABLE Commission or convicted of a violation by a municipality. If the ABLE Commission fails to notify the licensee of a violation by an employee, that violation shall not apply against the licensee for the purpose of determining a license suspension pursuant to Section 600.3 of this title. For purposes of this subsection, notification shall be deemed given if the ABLE Commission mails, by mail with delivery confirmation, the notification to the address which is on file with the Oklahoma Tax Commission of the licensee or sales tax permit holder of the location at which the violation occurred and the ABLE Commission receives delivery confirmation from the U.S. Postal Service.

G. Upon request of a storeowner or a municipality which has enacted ordinances in accordance with the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco Act, the ABLE Commission is hereby authorized to provide information on any Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco Act offense of any applicant for employment or employee of the storeowner.

H. The ABLE Commission shall prepare for submission annually to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the report required by Section 1926 of the federal Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300-26), and otherwise shall be responsible for ensuring the state's compliance with that provision of federal law and any implementing of regulations promulgated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Added by Laws 1994, c. 137, § 12, eff. July 1, 1994. Amended by Laws 1996, c. 144, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 1996; Laws 1997, c. 171, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 1997; Laws 2004, c. 253, § 6, eff. July 1, 2004; Laws 2014, c. 162, § 12, eff. Nov. 1, 2014.