Before Congress adjourned for its Easter recess, the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health approved H.R. 1108, legislation granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over tobacco manufacturing and retailing. The full House Energy & Commerce Committee is expected to mark up the bill Wednesday, April 2.
It is expected that Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) will offer a manager’s amendment at the hearing to address some of the concerns expressed by petroleum retailers.
This bill is harmful to every petroleum retailer that sells any tobacco product. The FDA can barely regulate food and now the government thinks it can regulate the sale of tobacco at over 300,000 retail stations. States are doing a fine job preventing cigarettes and the like from kids under 18.
BRANDON WRIGHT 