Westchester County Joint Legislation & Health Committees Meeting - July 27, 2026
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Westchester County Joint Legislation & Health Committees Meeting - July 27, 2026
The Westchester County Board of Legislators' Legislation and Health committees met jointly on Monday, July 27, 2026, beginning at 1:25 PM and adjourning at 1:43 PM. Chair Smith presided; Legislators participating remotely included Smith, Puja, and (later) Cunzio. Absent: Clements and Ulaj. The committees considered a local law and accompanying public hearing resolution to establish a rebuttable presumption for possession of flavored nicotine vapor products, with amendments adding camouflage vape products, and unanimously approved minutes from July 13, 2026.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the July 13, 2026, Legislation meeting by unanimous vote (motion by Nolan, second by Imamura).
Discussion Items
- Law Department Assistant Chief Deputy County Attorney Justin Adin and Associate County Attorney Jason Whitehead presented revisions to Local Law Intro 2026-213 and Resolution 2026-212. The substantive amendments renamed the bill to cover "certain vapor products," adding camouflage e-cigarette/vaping products alongside flavored products, and set a rebuttable presumption triggered by possession of "four or more individual packages or packets." Minor typographical and comma corrections were also included.
- Legislator Barr asked about enforcement; Adin explained the Department of Health and Board of Health enforce the law and decisions are reviewable via Article 78. He noted the presumption does not expand inspection access beyond what already exists; a future licensing or permitting system would be a separate effort requiring more research.
- Legislator Williams Johnson asked how the "four or more" quantity was chosen. Adin stated it follows precedent from New York City and California, among other jurisdictions.
- Legislators Smith, Imamura, Barr, Nolan, Gashi, Puja, Cunzio, and Pierce expressed support and appreciation for Williams Johnson's work. Pierce noted the Department of Health had previously indicated that a licensing scenario for vape shops is critical to achieving compliance.
- Williams Johnson stated that a draft bill to create a permitting process for vape retailers has been submitted, and she hopes to continue work toward keeping vaping products away from children.
- (Note: the transcript at one point refers to "the town of Westchester," but the agenda and minutes consistently identify the local law as amending Chapter 535 of the Laws of Westchester County.)
Key Outcomes
- Motion to amend Local Law Intro 2026-213 to include the revised language (camouflage products and the four-or-more presumption) carried unanimously in both committees: Legislation (Aye: Smith, Imamura, Barr, Nolan, Puja, Gashi) and Health (Aye: Williams Johnson, Imamura, Pierce, Gashi).
- Motion to amend Resolution 2026-212 (public hearing resolution) to reflect the revised title of the local law carried unanimously in both committees by the same votes.
- Final approval of both items as amended, referred to the Board of Legislators, carried unanimously in Legislation (Aye: Smith, Cunzio, Imamura, Barr, Nolan, Puja, Gashi) and Health (Aye: Williams Johnson, Imamura, Pierce, Gashi).
- The committees adjourned at 1:43 PM by unanimous consent.
Meeting Transcript
Yeah, I can have the pocket. I just have the meeting is being recorded and summarized. We don't have the system. No committee report just saw one page. Okay, we're on. We're live. Okay. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to legislation part two today. Um I will uh call a roll for legislation. Um I am here. Committee vice chair and memorial here. Uh board by uh board vice chair clemence. Uh minority leader cunzla. Legislator barr? Yeah. Legislator no one? Yeah. Legislator Puja. Here. Legislator Uli. And Chairman Gashi. Yeah. Okay. We are uh we have started at 125 p.m. And we're going to open up health. And um I will call the role Chair Willis Johnson. Um I'm here. Legislator Ignamora. Here Pierce. Yeah. Right. And we are open at when you 25. All right. So um we have for today um two items or same item on for discussion. And one is the uh setting a public hearing and one is the local law. This is item number 2026 212 and 213. Um setting uh a public hearing for local law, which would amend the laws of Westchester County to establish a rebuttable presumption in regards to the possession of flavored nicotine vapor products in the town of Westchester, and uh with us today to to talk about this uh public this local law. We have uh law department you'd like to join us at the uh table and just say your name and uh office would uh record just me, assistant chief deputy county attorney. Thank you for joining us, and I'll note that uh we're also joined uh by chairwoman um committee Jewel Williams Johnson online and so you I open the floor to uh the law department. So we were here last time um on this and the camouflage um fate law discussion that the committees wanted to add to the rebuttable presumption, um possession of the camouflage vape products as well, uh similar to what we were already what we're already before the board for flavor vape products, so we did um provide and you should have in front of you um revisions to the local law. Uh the substantive revisions are highlighted. There are some commas and other little minor myths that we also fixed in that um but we want to run through those, make sure the committees were good with these changes, and then there we all have to tweak if so we'll have to tweak the resolution for public hearing as well to reflect in the name of the law um since this is no longer just labor vape. So one of the changes is changing the title agency highlighted to possession of certain vapor products because it's now two different categories. Um then we've added in uh that language. Now there was also discussion last time about whether to use packages or packets to refer to the flavored vape products. Um we figured the easy we just voice to refer to both, so we have that change in here. Um possession of four or more individual packages or packets. Uh we added in the last sentence on the rebuttable presumption for the camouflage e-cigarette um or vaping products. Uh we did in here mirror the same possession of four or more. Um we feel that you know just maybe it makes sense.
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