Current through the 2023 Legislative Sessions
Section 51-25.1-04 - Reporting of information - Escrow installments1. Not later than twenty days after the end of each calendar quarter, and more frequently if directed by the attorney general, a distributor shall submit information the attorney general requires to facilitate compliance with this chapter, including a list by brand family of the total number of cigarettes or, in the case of "roll-your-own", the equivalent stick count the distributor paid the excise tax due for the cigarettes. The distributor shall maintain and make available to the attorney general all invoices and documentation of sales of all nonparticipating manufacturer cigarettes and any other information relied upon in reporting to the attorney general for a period of five years. The distributor shall provide the information and documentation to the commissioner, together with any other information and documentation requested by the commissioner. The commissioner shall process the information and documentation as needed by the commissioner and as needed by the attorney general for the purposes of this chapter and chapter 51-25.2. The commissioner may disclose to the attorney general any information in the commissioner's possession requested by the attorney general for purposes of determining compliance with and enforcement of this chapter. The commissioner and attorney general may share the information received under this chapter, and may share the information with a federal, state, or local agency for purposes of enforcement of chapter 51-25, this chapter, or any equivalent law of another state.3. The attorney general may require from the nonparticipating manufacturer, at any time, proof from the financial institution in which the nonparticipating manufacturer has established a qualified escrow fund for the purpose of compliance with subsection 2 of section 51-25-02 of the amount of money in the qualified escrow fund, exclusive of interest, being held on behalf of the state, and the amount and date of each deposit to, and withdrawal from, the qualified escrow fund.4. In addition to the information required to be submitted under chapter 51-25 and this chapter, the attorney general may require a distributor or tobacco product manufacturer to submit any additional information, including samples of packaging or labeling of a brand family, as necessary to enable the attorney general to determine whether a tobacco product manufacturer is or will continue to be in compliance with this chapter and chapter 51-25.5. In addition to the requirements of subsection 2 of section 51-25-02, and to promote compliance with this chapter: a. The attorney general may require any nonparticipating manufacturer to make escrow deposits required by subsection 2 of section 51-25-02 in quarterly installments. Any escrow deposits required to be made in quarterly installments must be deposited into a qualified escrow fund no later than thirty calendar days after the end of the quarter in which the sales were made. The failure by a nonparticipating manufacturer to make any quarterly installment required by the attorney general subjects the nonparticipating manufacturer to any penalty and other remedy provided under section 51-25.1-02 and subsection 2 of section 51-25-02.b. The attorney general may require production of information sufficient to enable the attorney general to determine the adequacy of each escrow deposit under this subsection and subsection 2 of section 51-25-02.Added by S.L. 2021, ch. 383 (SB 2259),§ 1, eff. 8/1/2021.