TFK: Senator Nickles Votes Against Bill To Protect Kids From Tobacco; Supports $10 Billion for Tobac

Source from:  U.S. Newswire  10/09/2004

U.S. Senator Don Nickles (R- OK) this week played a key role in defeating historic legislation that would have protected children from tobacco addiction and saved lives by allowing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products. While voting against tobacco regulation, Senator Nickles voted to provide $10 billion to tobacco farmers and those who own the right to grow tobacco, including more than $28,000 to pornography business owners Larry and Jimmy Flynt, who in addition to their Hustler businesses own tobacco assets. "We are deeply disappointed that Senator Nickles voted to protect the interests of the tobacco industry instead of the health of Oklahoma's kids," said William V. Corr, Executive Director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "It reflects truly misplaced priorities that Senator Nickles voted to provide $10 billion to tobacco interests, while voting to kill historic legislation that would have protected the nation's children and the nation's health from tobacco." To reduce tobacco's terrible toll in health, lives and money, public health leaders for years have worked to pass legislation allowing the FDA to regulate tobacco products. In July, the Senate voted 78 to 15 to approve both FDA tobacco regulation and the tobacco farmer buyout as part of a large corporate tax bill (called the FSC/ETI bill). However, the House approved a version of the tax bill that included the tobacco buyout, but not FDA authority. Senator Nickles was a member of a House-Senate conference committee that met this week to negotiate the differences between the two bills. On Tuesday, Senator Nickles voted against an amendment to include FDA tobacco regulation in the final bill. While Senate conferees voted 15 to 8 for FDA authority, House conferees voted 8 to 3 against the legislation, thereby killing it. As a result, the final bill included the $10 billion buyout for tobacco farmers, but no FDA regulation of tobacco to protect kids. An analysis by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids found that the conference committee members who voted against the FDA legislation received, on average, nearly five times as much in tobacco industry political action committee (PAC) contributions as those who voted for the legislation. Those voting against the FDA legislation received on average $24,974 in tobacco PAC contributions from 1999 to 2004, while those voting for the legislation received on average $5,338 in tobacco PAC contributions. The legislation would have granted the FDA authority over the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products. Among other things, the FDA would have the authority to crack down on tobacco marketing and sales to children; require changes in tobacco products to make them less harmful and less addictive; stop tobacco companies from making unsubstantiated claims that some tobacco products may be safer than others; require the disclosure of the contents of tobacco products; and mandate larger, more effective health warnings. Tobacco use is the nation's leading preventable cause of death, killing more than 400,000 people and costing our nation more than $75 billion in health care bills every year. Every day, another 2,000 kids become regular smokers, one-third of whom will die prematurely as a result. Yet tobacco products are virtually unregulated to protect consumers' health and safety. In Oklahoma, tobacco use kills 5,700 people and costs over $908 million in health care costs each year. Over 26 percent of high school students smoke, and another 9,100 kids become regular smokers every year. Enditem