FDA bill passes House, President will sign

Just a day after the Senate overwhelmingly approved a sweeping reform for tobacco regulation, the House of Representatives passed the Senate's version. With the White House firmly behind the measure, it should become law within days.

The vote, as it was in the House the first time, and in the Senate yesterday, was overwhelming: 307-97. Check out our blog post on yesterday's vote for more information on the bill.

President Obama has said he will sign the measure; Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday that her agency is looking forward to implementing the bill.

Perspective: Legislation to allow the FDA to regulate tobacco was first introduced in 1996. Clinton was finishing his first term. Tobacco companies still advertised during Saturday morning cartoons, sponsored youth activities, and handed out free samples. California's smoking ban was still in the works. A smoke-free Wisconsin was pipe-dream.

Regulation's been a long time coming.

Senate approves FDA regulatory power for tobacco

On a broad bipartisan basis (79-17), the U.S. Senate voted this afternoon to grant regulatory power over tobacco to the Food and Drug Administration. The bill is a watershed moment in tobacco control history. Some products (like candy-flavored tobacco) will be banned. Tobacco industry marketing tactics will be curtailed. Expect to see drastic changes in how tobacco is marketed, labeled, and which new products enter the marketplace.

It's a great day for tobacco control, public health in Wisconsin, and in the U.S.

For more information on the bill, check out:

• Our previous blog post on the subject
• The related Associated Press story
• OpenCongress.org (for bill text, vote summaries, and motions)
• The New York Times has a graphic up listing the new powers for the FDA, differences between the House and Senate bills, and more
  

Going forward:

The House of Representatives passed a similar (but not identical) version of the bill in April; the House must now vote on the Senate's version, or enter conference committee to hammer out the differences. Following today's vote, Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed optimistic that the Senate's version would pass the House. Once approved by both houses of the legislature, the bill will await only President Obama's approval. Obama has indicated that he will sign the bill.

An estimate produced by the Congressional Budget Office predicted that FDA regulation of tobacco could reduce underage smoking by 11 percent over the next decade.

A long time coming:

Health advocates have sought regulatory reform on tobacco for decades. Tobacco industry lobbyists, often with the vocal support of representatives from tobacco-producing states, have long stood in the way of reform efforts. President George W. Bush's administration also opposed reform and a 2000 Supreme Court ruling (5-4) found that the FDA did not have authority under current law to regulate tobacco products.

Happening now: Senate voting on FDA regulation of tobacco

The U.S. Senate will vote this afternoon on legislation which would grant the government control over the production and marketing of tobacco products. It's legislation many health advocates have waited 20 years for.

"It is a lifesaving act for the millions of children who will be spared a lifetime addiction and premature death," Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass said in a statement as quoted by the AP.

For more information, including the text of the bill, vote totals, and bill progress, check out OpenCongress.org's page on the bill.

If passed as written, the bill would have several key components:

• Grant the FDA regulatory power over tobacco products
• Ban the use of misleading expressions including "light" and "mild" from tobacco advertising
• Compel tobacco companies to produce detailed lists of ingredients
  

With regulatory power, the FDA would have the power to ban candied or flavored tobacco products and restrict tobacco marketing. FDA regulation could also mean less tobacco ads in publications with teen readership, stronger warning labels, and pre-market approval of new tobacco products.

Health advocates have predicted that the legislation will reduce youth and adult smoking, and cut into the $100 billion in annual tobacco-related health care costs.

WI Youth Wins National Award!

Kyle Picha of the Prairie du Chien FACT (Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco) group was named Central Region Youth Advocate of the Year at an awards gala on May 6th by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for his leadership in the fight against tobacco. Kyle has been active with FACT for 4 years and is currently serving on the FACT Youth Board of Directors. FACT is WI's youth-driven tobacco prevention movement.

Since his involvement in FACT, Kyle has played an integral role in helping advocate for a statewide smoke-free law in Wisconsin, testified before the Joint Finance Committee in support of state tobacco prevention funding, and helped create an award-winning media advocacy campaign.

Congrats Kyle!

Congratulations Monona!

Monona is officially smoke-free as of this Monday June 1st!

Congratulations to all the advocates and members of Breathe Free Monona who worked tirelessly for clean air. We here at SmokeFree Wisconsin want to thank you for your hard work.

For more information on Breathe Free Monona please check out out their Web site.