Tobacco Regulation Plan Stalled as Attempt at Quick Passage Fails

In a setback for advocates of tobacco restrictions, the House Rules Committee on Wednesday rejected a plan for a fast-track vote on authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products without banning their use.

The panel refused to allow a waiver that would have permitted the regulatory proposal to be offered this week as an amendment to a bill providing appropriations for the Department of Agriculture. This means that the proposal to regulate tobacco is probably dead for this year and will have to wait until the next Congress convenes in 1995.

Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills), a senior member of the Rules Committee, said that the panel decided against the waiver after Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said it would infringe on his panel’s jurisdiction over the FDA.

Rep. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), one of the principal advocates of the regulatory plan, expressed disappointment at the decision.

“By failing to act, we have let many people down,” Durbin said in a statement. “The tobacco industry will continue to lure our children into the ranks of addicted smokers, and more than 1,000 Americans will continue to die each day from tobacco-related diseases. While the tobacco lobby may have won this battle, regulation is inevitable.”

Durbin urged FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler to use his existing authority to regulate tobacco while Congress continues to consider the issue.