House Health Subcommittee Acts to Protect Kids and Save Lives by Approving Bill to Regulate Tobacc...( Statement of William V. Corr Executi...),Health

Statement of William V. Corr Executive Director, Campaign for Tobacco-Free

Kids

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health today acted to protect our children and the nation's health by approving legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products. This is a very strong bill that provides the FDA with ample resources and effective authority to bring about fundamental change that will promote public health.

Today's subcommittee vote moves Congress a critical step closer to enacting truly historic legislation that can protect our children from tobacco addiction and save countless lives. There are few actions Congress can take that would make a bigger difference for our nation's health. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, Health Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone and U.S. Reps. Henry Waxman and Tom Davis, the bill's sponsors, have been true champions of public health in moving this legislation forward.

Companion Senate legislation was approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on August 1. We urge both the Senate and the House to quickly enact this long-overdue legislation into law and to reject all efforts to weaken it. It is clear from the strong support in both political parties and both chambers of Congress that Congress has the votes to pass this bipartisan legislation now. A Senate majority of 56 senators are sponsoring this legislation, as are 217 members of the House.

This legislation is supported by more than 600 public health, faith and other organizations across the country, including every major national public health organization (see list at http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/fda/organizations.pdf). According to a national poll co
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