Department of Revenue enforcement and providing a penalty. (FE)

Under current law, a person must obtain an annual license from the person's city, village, or town (municipality) before selling cigarettes or tobacco products.

Under the bill, DOR must create an application form for such licenses. The form must include the applicant's history relevant to the applicant's fitness to hold a license; the kind of retailer license for which the applicant is applying; the premises where cigarettes or tobacco products will be sold or stored; if the applicant is a corporation, the identity of the corporate officers and agent; if the applicant is a limited liability company, the identity of the company members or managers and agent; the applicant's trade name, if any; whether the applicant will sell, exchange, barter, dispose of, or give away the cigarette or tobacco products over the counter or in a vending machine, or both; and any other information required by DOR.

The bill requires an applicant for a retail license to sell cigarettes or tobacco products to use the form created by DOR. An applicant must also sign the application and notify the municipality of any changes in information to the application within 30 days of the change. In addition, the bill requires the municipality to keep all submitted applications for at least four years.

Under the bill, a retail license to sell cigarettes or tobacco may be issued only if the applicant has not been a habitual law offender or been convicted of a felony, unless pardoned, and the applicant has submitted the proof required by DOR under current law relating to the collection of sales and use tax. If the applicant is a business entity that has been convicted of a crime, the business entity may not receive a retail license unless it has terminated its relationship with the individuals whose actions directly contributed to the conviction.

The bill also requires municipalities that issue retail licenses to sell cigarettes or tobacco to submit a list annually to DOR with a list of those licenses and certain information relating to the licenses and licensees, which DOR must post on its website.

Finally, the bill requires a licensee to place the licensee's retail license in a frame with a transparent front and to conspicuously display the license at all times in the room or place where the licensed activity takes place.

License to sell electronic vaping devices This bill requires a person who sells electronic vaping devices to obtain a cigarette and tobacco products retailer license. Specifically, the bill requires a retailer who sells or offers for sale electronic vaping devices to obtain an annual license from the clerk of the city, village, or town where the retailer is located. The bill defines an “electronic vaping device” as a device that may be used to deliver any aerosolized or vaporized liquid or other substance for inhalation, regardless of whether the liquid or other substance contains nicotine.

Definition of fermented malt beverages The bill expands the definition of fermented malt beverages.

Under current law, alcohol beverages that do not meet the definition of fermented malt beverages are considered intoxicating liquor. Fermented malt beverages are defined as any beverage made by the alcohol fermentation of an infusion in potable water of barley malt and hops, with or without unmalted grains or decorticated and degerminated grains or sugar containing 0.5 percent or more of alcohol by volume.

This bill expands the definition of a fermented malt beverage to include any beverage that is recognized under federal regulations as beer, except sake or similar products.

Publishing a list of retail licenses The bill requires DOR to publish a list of retail licensees on DOR's website.

Under current law, DOR issues alcohol beverage permits, and municipalities issue alcohol beverage licenses. Each municipality must annually provide DOR with a list of the municipality's retail licensees, including name, address, and type of license. The bill requires DOR to publish this list on DOR's website.

Criminal history search fee The bill requires an applicant for an alcohol beverages permit issued by DOR to pay to DOR the criminal history search fee associated with the application.

Under current law, DOR may not issue an alcohol beverages permit to an applicant that has a disqualifying criminal record. The Department of Justice charges a fee for a criminal history search. This bill requires the permit applicant to pay this criminal history search fee incurred by DOR.

Tax return information disclosure The bill authorizes employees of DOR and DOJ to disclose tax return information under certain circumstances.

Under the bill, DOR employees may, in connection with their official duties, disclose tax return information to the extent that the disclosure is necessary to obtain information for the enforcement of Wisconsin's tax laws. The disclosure must be strictly limited to, and used solely for the purposes of, obtaining information necessary for an audit, collection, inspection, or investigation by the DOR employee.

The bill authorizes DOJ employees to disclose, in connection with their official duties, the tax return information, other than copies of information, they are authorized to access under current law to a law enforcement investigator participating in a DOJ investigation. The disclosure must be strictly limited to, and used solely for the purposes of, obtaining information necessary for a DOJ investigation.

The bill also specifies that federal and Wisconsin grand juries are authorized to access tax return information upon DOR's receipt of a grand jury subpoena.

Lottery Under current law, no employee of the Lottery Division of DOR may purchase a lottery ticket or lottery share. The bill allows such an employee to purchase a lottery ticket or a lottery share, if the purchase is made on behalf of the Lottery Division of DOR as part of an official lottery investigation.

Also under current law, if a person alters or forges a lottery ticket, or utters or transfers an altered or forged lottery ticket, the person is guilty of a Class I felony.

The bill adds that if a person counterfeits or illegally obtains a lottery ticket, or utters or transfers a counterfeit or illegally obtained lottery ticket, the person is also guilty of a Class I felony. The bill also provides that any person who claims a lottery prize from a winning lottery ticket or share and then transfers the same winning lottery ticket or share to another person is guilty of a Class I felony.

Under current law, a person who possesses an altered or forged lottery ticket or share with intent to defraud is guilty of a misdemeanor, subject to a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than nine months or both. The bill adds that a person who possesses a counterfeit, illegally obtained, or previously redeemed lottery ticket is also guilty of a misdemeanor, subject to a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than nine months or both.

Under current law, lottery winnings are subject to withholdings for state taxes, child support, spousal support, maintenance or family support, assessments, fines, restitution, and surcharges. Under the bill, if a person transfers a winning lottery ticket to another person or claims a lottery prize from a transferred ticket with the intent to avoid these withholdings, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor, subject to a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than nine months or both.

Finally, the bill provides the special agents of DOR with all necessary police and peace officer powers to prevent and enforce violations of the lottery law, including the power to make an arrest under conditions set forth under current law for a law enforcement officer to make an arrest. Under current law, a law enforcement officer may arrest a person if the officer has a warrant for the person's arrest or has reasonable grounds to believe that this state or another state has issued a warrant for the person's arrest. In addition, a law enforcement officer may arrest a person if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person is committing or has committed a crime.

Possession of alcohol vapor devices The bill prohibits a person from using, possessing, or selling an alcohol vapor device, which is a device that turns an alcohol beverage into a vapor or mist to be inhaled.

Penalties for evading excise taxes and unlawful possession of cigarettes The bill increases the penalties for evading the excise taxes imposed on cigarettes, tobacco products, and electronic vaping devices.

Under current law, a person who attempts to evade these taxes, or who aids in or abets the evasion or attempted evasion of these taxes, may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than nine months, or both.

Under the bill, a person who evades or attempts to evade these taxes, or who aids in or abets the evasion or attempted evasion of these taxes, is guilty of the following:

1. A Class A misdemeanor if the amount of the tax is no more than $2,500.

2. A Class I felony if the amount of the tax is more than $2,500, but no more than $5,000.

3. A Class H felony if the amount of the tax is more than $5,000, but no more than $10,000.

4. A Class G felony if the amount of the tax is more than $10,000, but no more than $100,000.

5. A Class F felony if the amount of tax is more than $100,000.

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