U.S. House Passes Bill Giving FDA Power to Regulate Tobacco..

April 2, 2009 - The U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed (approved, passage) landmark legislation giving the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) power to regulate tobacco, reported Dow Jones. The voted passed 298-112.

The bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where lawmakers from tobacco-producing states oppose the legislation. The bill doesn't give the FDA power to ban existing tobacco products but gives the agency power to restrict sales on safety grounds. The FDA also would be able to stop companies from touting their brands as "low tar" and "mild" and other areas of the agency.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D.-Calif.) said money from the FDA's general fund will be used for only the first six months until the industry fees are adequate to fund the program. Money borrowed from the general fund will be paid back by the user fees, Waxman said.

The House, in a separate 284 to 142 vote, defeated an alternative offered by Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) to establish a new tobacco regulation center outside the FDA but within the Department of Health & Human Services, said Dow Jones. (U.S. House alternative bill to regulate tobacco rejected..)

STATEMENT OF SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY ON THE HOUSE PASSAGE OF BILL TO GIVE THE FDA REGULATION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS..

Reference: House Passes Bill Giving FDA Power to Regulate Tobacco, CSP (Convenience Store/Petroleum) Daily News, 4/2/2009.