Measure clears House committee
Jump to full article: Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal, 2008-04-03
Author: James R. Carroll
Intro: A bill giving the federal Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products appears headed for House passage.
By a vote of 38-12 yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the landmark legislation -- the first time any House panel has voted for such a measure.
Eleven Republicans joined the committee's Democrats in voting for the measure. Five of those lawmakers, including Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th District, Indiana, were from tobacco-producing districts. . . .
The House committee's action came as opposition ended from other groups -- such as convenience store operators and some small tobacco companies, including the Louisville-based National Tobacco Co. -- after lawmakers agreed to make changes in the bill. . . .
The lone Kentucky lawmaker on the panel, Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-1st District, voted against the bill, though he said he supported combating tobacco use.
"The FDA's mission is to protect public health by assuring the safety and efficacy of our nation's food and drugs -- and tobacco is neither a food nor a drug," Whitfield said in a statement. "Tobacco is a legal product that some people choose to use despite knowing the risks associated with it."
Meanwhile, Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd District, said his concerns about the legislation were addressed when the panel agreed to give smaller tobacco companies up to four years to comply with some provisions and to join together to pay for testing products that may be required by the FDA.
Ron Tully, National Tobacco's vice president of corporate affairs, said that without the changes the bill would threaten the survival of his firm and others of similar size.
National Tobacco has 300 employees -- 200 of them in Louisville. The company makes cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and so-called "roll-your-own" products.
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