Senate Tobacco Foes Agree on FDA Bill

Source from:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) 10/10/2004

Anti-tobacco senators agreed late Friday to stop delaying a tax bill that includes a bailout for tobacco farmers and pass a separate bill calling for Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) regulation of tobacco, Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record)'s office said late Friday. "We made real progress tonight in the fight to once and for all stop big tobacco from marketing cigarettes to our children," the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement. A group of senators had been trying to slow down a major corporate tax bill which contains a $10 billion buyout for tobacco farmers who operate under a Depression-era price support system. The Senate had wanted to also include in the tax bill a measure giving the FDA (news - web sites) power over tobacco, but the House rebuffed them. An aide to Kennedy said the Senate would finish up the tax bill, probably on Sunday afternoon. He said the Senate would then approve a separate bill on the FDA, and urge the House to take it up when it returns to wrap up the year's business in a "lame duck" session after the election. Top Senate Republican spokesmen were not immediately available for comment. Enditem