Today the House Appropriations Committee held a full committee mark-up to move the Agriculture Appropriations bill to the next phase of the legislative process. This bill contains important language that would exempt premium cigars from FDA regulation. 

During the committee meeting, an amendment was offered by Rep. DeLauro (D-CT) to strip the cigar language that defines premium cigars and exempts that category from FDA regulation. This amendment failed 14-34.

The House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to include language that changes the predicate date for a new tobacco product from February 15, 2007, to the date of enactment for any new regulations. This amendment, sponsored by Reps. Cole (R-OK) and Bishop (D-GA), passed 31-19.

Both provisions are critical victories for our industry and strengthen our position against FDA as we move towards the release of the deeming rule. The Agriculture Appropriations bill now moves to the floor of the U.S. House for consideration. While the U.S. Senate remains a challenge, IPCPR continues to develop a strong coalition through our educational advocacy efforts.