Senate Breathes New Life Into Tobacco Bill

The Senate appeared on the verge of a breakthrough on the stalled tobacco bill Tuesday as lawmakers agreed to use some of the money generated by the measure to fight drugs and pay for tax cuts--including reducing the so-called marriage penalty.

Both amendments were demanded by Republicans as the price of allowing the legislation to proceed.

The sharp change in the bill’s fortunes--on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) had said that he thought it was “dead in the water”--came after intense negotiations with lawmakers by White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, as well as President Clinton’s personal involvement.

Clinton called Lott and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) on Tuesday as part of the effort to create new momentum for the bill.

The legislation aims to reduce teenage smoking by raising the price of cigarette packs by $1.10 over five years and significantly increasing federal regulation of the tobacco industry.

“We are working hard to get this thing back on track and get into a position where a good comprehensive bill can pass the Senate,” Clinton said.

In his brief public comments, the president passed up the chance to take partisan shots at the Republicans, some of whom have been openly trying to kill the legislation for several weeks.

Although passage of the measure remains in doubt, Clinton said, “I do believe that the possibility of getting a comprehensive bill out of the Senate is greater now than it was this morning. There are still problems to be sure. But we are getting closer to, I think, a principled compromise.”

The anti-drug amendment, adopted on a 52-46 vote that followed party lines, would spend roughly $2 billion annually on beefed-up law enforcement and permanently ban any government funding for needle-exchange programs. It also would create a voucher program that would allow children who are victims of violence at a public school to use government money to attend a private institution.

The needle-exchange and voucher provisions are strongly opposed by most Democrats.

The money allotted by the amendment would come from a tobacco trust fund, which the original bill earmarked to pay for anti-smoking public health programs, reimbursing states for treating people with tobacco-related diseases and helping tobacco farmers whose livelihoods would be harmed by the bill.

“I have long thought that for us to talk about addiction to tobacco and be totally silent on addiction to drugs was an unconscionable position,” said Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.), who sponsored the amendment with Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho).

In recognition of the political potency of the drug issue, Democrats offered an alternative amendment. It would have spent money for similar anti-drug enforcement programs and drug-free schools and workplaces, but avoided the ban on needle exchanges and offered no school voucher program. It lost, 53 to 45.

The tentative compromise on taxes, which was slated for a vote today, included the elimination of the marriage-tax penalty for couples with incomes of less than $50,000 a year. It also would allow self-employed people to start deducting the full cost of health insurance, which is not permitted under current law.

According to Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), sponsor of the marriage penalty legislation, the measure would divert $46 billion over 10 years from the tobacco trust fund.

Lott had made it clear earlier in the week that some GOP-sponsored amendments, such as those on drugs and taxes, would have to come to a vote before he would consider allowing action on the bill as a whole to continue.

After it was clear that there would be votes on the tax and drug amendments, other Republicans appeared more receptive about the bill.

“This is a step in the right direction” said Gramm. Still, he said, he remains unsure if he would support the overall measure.