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Senators Urge Passage of Tobacco Regulation Bill 

Democratic Senators Dick Durbin, Chris Dodd, Jack Reed and Frank Lautenberg joined Matt Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, at a press conference this morning to discuss the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

The act, which was first introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), would give the FDA authority to regulate the tobacco industry as well as place strict advertising restraints on tobacco companies.

"Every year, 15,000 Connecticut children try cigarettes for the first time," Dodd said. "Tobacco companies know that if they can't addict children, then they won't have any customers. It's time for the tobacco industry to come up with a new business model - and this bill will force them to."

Yesterday, the Senate voted 84-11 to invoke cloture to proceed with debate on the act. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Kay Hagan (D-NC), who both have residence near the headquarters of tobacco company R.J. Reynolds, have vowed to fight the bill and have introduced their own legislation to create a new agency to regulate tobacco.

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