Cornyn: Senate Committee Advances Bipartisan Bill to Curb Youth Smoking, Address Health Care Costs

Press Release

Cornyn: Senate Committee Advances Bipartisan Bill to Curb Youth Smoking, Address Health Care Costs

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn made the following statement Wednesday regarding committee approval of the bipartisan Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, S. 625, which he introduced earlier this year with U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) advanced the bill to the full Senate for consideration. The bill will give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to keep tobacco manufacturers from enticing young people to smoke and reduce overall tobacco use.

"This bipartisan legislation will address the leading cause of preventable death in the nation. Preventing tobacco manufacturers from enticing young people to smoke and reducing overall tobacco use will also help reduce health care costs for all Americans. Smoking and the consumption of tobacco products are private decisions, but they carry public consequences, particularly the enormous health care costs passed on to fellow taxpayers. I'm encouraged this bill has advanced and will continue working to pass it in the full Senate."

Background:

The bipartisan Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will give the FDA the legal authority it needs to:

* prevent tobacco advertising that targets children,
* prevent the sale of tobacco products to minors,
* help smokers overcome their addiction,
* identify and reduce the toxic constituents of tobacco products and tobacco smoke for those who continue to be exposed to them,
* regulate claims about reduced-risk tobacco products, and
* prevent the tobacco industry from misleading the public about the dangers of smoking.

The bill has 52 Senate co-sponsors. It has been endorsed by several major organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the American Medical Association and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

In 2004, Texas spent a total of $5.83 billion in medical costs and a total of $1.62 billion in direct Medicaid costs to pay for smoking-related illnesses. More than 400,000 deaths nationwide are attributed to tobacco use each year.

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's Airland subcommittee.

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