Texas Revives PMTA Registry Push: SB 1698 Advances in Senate Committee
Big Tobacco’s registry playbook is back on the move—this time deep in the heart of Texas. After the original registry bill was pulled by its author, a Texas Senate committee quietly advanced a new version last night: Senate Bill 1698 (SB 1698). If enacted, this legislation could wipe out 95% of the nicotine vaping market in the state.
The bill mirrors similar registry efforts we've seen sweeping through other states like Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas—bills that use the FDA’s complicated and still-unresolved PMTA (Premarket Tobacco Product Application) process as a blunt instrument to ban flavored vapes and disposables at the state level.
🔥 What SB 1698 Could Mean for Texas Vapers and Shops
If SB 1698 becomes law, it would prohibit the sale of any vaping product that hasn’t received full PMTA authorization from the FDA—a process that only a tiny fraction of products have completed. That effectively outlaws most products on vape shop shelves today, including popular disposables and flavored options that adult users rely on as alternatives to smoking.
Let’s be clear: this bill doesn’t just target illegal products. It weaponizes an unfinished federal regulatory process to destroy 95% of the legal, adult-choice vapor market in Texas.
And with Texas's vaping industry supporting thousands of small businesses and jobs, this isn’t just a public health debate—it’s an economic one, too.
What We Don’t Know (Yet)
It’s currently unclear if any amendments were made to SB 1698 before it moved out of committee. That makes it all the more important for Texas residents and business owners to stay vigilant and ready to push back.
📅 Time is Running Out: Session Ends June 2
The Texas legislative session wraps up on June 2, which means there’s still a small window to take action and fight back against this sweeping registry bill.
📣 How You Can Help: Take Action Now!
The Vapor Technology Association (VTA) has set up a convenient way for you to email your lawmakers and urge them to oppose SB 1698.
Every message counts. This bill isn’t inevitable—but without grassroots opposition, it could quietly become law and decimate the Texas vaping market overnight.
🛑 Why This Matters Beyond Texas
Make no mistake: what happens in Texas could set the tone for other states looking to copy-paste this registry strategy. We’ve already seen similar bills pop up across the country. If Texas falls, others will follow.
Let’s keep Texas open for alternative nicotine products, adult choice, and small businesses—not closed by Big Tobacco lobbyists using red tape as their weapon.
Stay tuned for updates as this bill moves forward—and don’t forget to share this post with other vapers, business owners, and advocates who care about keeping flavors, disposables, and adult vaping options alive in Texas.
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