Clinton to Join Congress Against Teen Smoking

President Clinton and congressional leaders agreed Wednesday to proceed with a bipartisan effort to craft tobacco legislation to reduce teenage smoking but acknowledged significant differences in their approaches.

“There is a broad consensus that we want to find a way to pass legislation early next year,” said House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) after what he called a “very effective bipartisan meeting” with Clinton in the White House.

“The president was very encouraged by the positive and productive tone of the meeting today,” said White House spokesman Mike McCurry. He added that “one clear outcome of this meeting is that we won’t be moving slowly.”

Participants--Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and a bipartisan group of 18 senators and representatives--agreed that over the next several weeks they will come up with a bipartisan process for drafting a legislative package to be considered next year.

Despite the optimistic rhetoric, it clearly will be difficult to draft legislation building on the $368.5-billion proposed settlement between the tobacco industry and its critics. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) warned that the apparent consensus does not go very deep.

“There was no unanimity except in mission, and that is to make sure that we cut into the numbers of teenagers who’ve picked up smoking and try to get cessation programs under way,” Lautenberg said after the meeting.

The task is complicated by the fact that many different committees in Congress must participate and respond to the concerns and demands of numerous constituencies.

The labor committees, for example, will deal with provisions concerning a new Food and Drug Administration role in regulating tobacco. The Judiciary committees will have a say on who can sue the tobacco companies. The Agriculture committees will weigh in because of the concerns of tobacco farmers. And the Ways and Means and Finance committees will rule on what taxes can be charged.