Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House declines tobacco-ingredients disclosure bill after constitutional and fiscal concerns
Summary
House debates HB32 and an amendment to require reporting of certain hazardous tobacco ingredients; proponents argued youth-prevention benefits and cited other states, while opponents warned of litigation risk and questioned the bill’s necessity. Vote: 34–37, fails.
Representative Jordan Tanner introduced an amendment to House Bill 32 to require reports from tobacco manufacturers identifying hazardous ingredients by class (arsenic, cadmium, formaldehyde, lead and others) and to make reporting periodic rather than strictly annual. Tanner said the amendment would correct an incorrect fiscal note and reduce costs to zero for the current fiscal year, later projecting a $5,000 cost for FY2000, and argued the measure is a preventive youth‑health tool.
Tanner also alleged industry practices, saying the R. J. Reynolds company added ammonia to Marlboro cigarettes to boost nicotine delivery; he cited out‑of‑state legal rulings and other states (Massachusetts, Texas, Minnesota) that have upheld state authority to require such disclosures. Tanner said much of the bill is code cleanup and that no new bureaucracy would be created within the Department of Health’s existing clinical testing unit.
Opponents raised constitutional and legislative-review concerns and warned that the bill could invite litigation that would cost public funds. Representative Garn highlighted a legislative-review note in the bill pointing to ongoing constitutional and statutory concerns under litigation elsewhere. Representative Allen argued the information could already be supplied through existing department practices and that the bill might do nothing new.
After floor debate and questions, the House voted; HB32 failed, 34 yes to 37 no, and was filed.
