Tell the House Health & Human Services Committee
Vote NAY on HB 1220
This bill is scheduled for hearing in the House Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 7:30 AM–9:45 AM — Room 412.
HB 1220 would impose:
| ❌ | Shutdowns for minor violations | ❌ | Harsh penalties of $5,000 per day |
| ❌ | Crippling fees in the thousands | ❌ | Ban on online/phone sales |
| ❌ | Invasive recordkeeping | ❌ | Sex-offender-style store restrictions |
❌ Overly Broad “Nicotine” Definition – Will Encompass Unintended Products
If passed, this bill will put small, lawful retail businesses at immediate risk of closure!
Act now — email the committee, call, or register to testify remotely.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
WHY THIS MATTERS
HB 1220 is not a targeted public-safety bill — it is a sweeping commercial regulatory regime that places heavy costs, massive uncertainty, and criminal/administrative risk on thousands of small, law-abiding retailers.
Economic & local impact
-
Immediate cash shock: $1,000 application and $1,000 renewal per location is a large capital hit for independent shops with tight margins — multiply that across multiple locations and this becomes an existential cost. The fee structure will force owners to choose servicing compliance costs or closing doors.
-
Lost jobs & lost tax revenue: closures mean fewer employees, less local spending, and reduced state sales tax revenue from legitimate small businesses.
-
Hurt rural access: in small towns a single shop often serves as the only legal source for certain products — closures will disproportionately harm rural communities.
Regulatory overreach & enforcement risk
-
Automatic shutdown for minor infractions. The denial/revocation language means prior FDA paperwork citations — which are often technical — can be read as grounds for immediate shutdown. See the retailer-compiled FDA report showing how many stores would be at risk. FDA nicotine violation list
-
Unreliable, expensive compliance: multi-year recordkeeping and mandatory electronic production create a compliance burden that small retailers do not have infrastructure to meet quickly.
-
A fast track to closure: escalating fines and a compressed appeals/penalty timeline mean an administrative misstep can quickly become a permanent loss of business.
Legal uncertainty & innovation chilling
-
Broad “nicotine” language reaches synthetic, trace, and novel formulations — this will sweep in wellness devices, CBD/hemp products, or new product types without legislative intent. Retailers and stakeholders flagged these concerns repeatedly in Mulder discussions.
Mulder Licensing Bill issues an…
Public-safety alternatives
-
If the committee wants to protect kids and public health, there are narrower tools: targeted enforcement against illegal sellers, lab-tested product standards, retailer education, and criminal penalties for intentional distribution — not a blanket per-store licensing tax and shut-down regime.
READ THE BILL
TAKE ACTION
TESTIFY AT THE HEARING
This coming Tuesday, February 17 at 6:30 AM MDT / 7:30 AM CST you have the chance to speak directly to the House Health & Human Services Committee — but you must register in advance, today.
Prepare a brief 30–60 second statement (or 2 minutes if allotted), and join a few minutes early. Your testimony can make the difference — sign up now.
Tell Individual Committee Members:
Vote NO on HB 1220
Click the phone or email icon on any committee member card to contact that member directly. The phone icon will open your device’s dialer (or call app) so you can place the call immediately; the email icon will open your mail client. Each action contacts the member individually, so you can personalize your remarks — when calling or emailing, remember to mention what bill you’re contacting them about, when the bill is coming up for hearing (Tue, Feb 17 — Room 412 — 7:30 AM CST), your name, your city, and the reasons you would encourage them to vote NO. And remember to encourage them to vote NO on HB 1220.
Contact the Whole Committee
Use the pre-written message below to contact members of the House Health & Human Services Committee and urge them to VOTE NO ON HB 1220.
Or simply fill out your information and hit submit to send them the pre-written email expressing your concern and issues with HB 1220 as it is written.