HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3352        FILED ON: 2/18/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3368

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Paul McMurtry

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act permitting Hookah bars.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3352        FILED ON: 2/18/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3368

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

_______________

An Act permitting Hookah bars.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Subsection (a) of section 22 of chapter 270 of the general laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition,  is hereby amended by inserting after the definition “enclosed” the following two definitions:-

“Hookah”, a device used for smoking tobacco that consists of a tube connected to a container where the smoke is cooled by passing through water.

“Hookah bar”, an establishment whose business is primarily devoted to the serving of tobacco products from a hookah for consumption by guests on the premises and prohibits the entry of persons under the age of 18 at all times and maintains a valid permit to operate a hookah bar issued by the department of revenue.

SECTION 2.  Subsection (c) of said section 22 of said chapter 270, as so appearing, is hereby amend by adding the following paragraph:

(10) Smoking a hookah in a hookah bar if the hookah bar maintains a valid permit issued by the department of revenue pursuant to this section.  This permit shall be displayed in a conspicuous manner, visible at all times to patrons of the hookah bar. 

SECTION 3.  Paragraph (3) of subsection (g) of said section 22 of said chapter 270, as so appearing, is hereby amend by inserting after the word “bar”, in line 263, the following words:- or hookah bar.

SECTION 4.  Paragraph (1) of clause (a) of subsection (h) of said section 22 of said chapter 270, as so appearing, is hereby amend by inserting after the word “bar”, in each instance it appears, the following words:- or hookah bar.

SECTION 5.  Paragraph (3) of said clause (a) of said subsection (h) of said section 22 of said chapter 270, as so appearing, is hereby amend by inserting after the word “bar”, in each instance it appears, the following words:- or hookah bar.

SECTION 6.  Clause (b) of subsection (h) of said section 22 of said chapter 270, as so appearing, is hereby amend by inserting after the word “bar”, in each instance it appears, the following words:- or hookah bar.

SECTION 7.  Subsection (j) of said section 22 of said chapter 270, as so appearing, is hereby amend by inserting after the word “commonwealth”, in line 329, the following words:- ; provided, however that this subsection shall not apply to hookah bars operating under a permit pursuant to this section.