From a press release: March 13th, 2008 House Health Subcommittee Passes FDA Bill Late on Tuesday, March 11th, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health approved by a voice vote H.R. 1108, the bill that would grant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.  Then, on a roll-call vote of 18-9, the Subcommittee on Health voted to send the FDA bill to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.  The 18 representatives voting in favor of sending the bill to the House Energy and Commerce included all the Democrats on the subcommittee joined...

Update from the National Association of Tobacco Outlets Released: March 6th, 2008 Vote on FDA Bill Delayed Today, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health met to vote on H.R. 1108, the bill that would grant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.  As reported by NATO Federal Legislative Director Jackie Cohen, all of the committee members were provided an opportunity to make an opening statement regarding the FDA bill.  Each of the Democrats strongly supported the bill while the Republican members reaffirmed their support for reducing youth smoking, but expressed concerns that the bill’s provisions...

International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Spring 2008 Legislative Update     With most state legislatures back in session, here is a breakdown, state-by-state, of what is currently happening, being considered, and what may be on the horizon in the coming months. As information and events change, we will provide updates. For a complete list of all state issues, please go to IPCPR's Tobacco Legislation homepage.   Alabama: the State Senate is currently considering Senate Bill (SB) 229-a statewide smoking ban. While it exempts cigar bars, retail tobacco shops, and outdoor areas, it will ban smoking in bars, bars within restaurants,...

International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) State Legislative Update     House Bill 3750 Introduced Announces HB3750 Proposes to Make 50-cent Cigar Tax Cap Permanent   February 25, 2008 - House Bill 3750 has been introduced into your state legislature (the Senate cross-over bill has not yet been formally released). As you are aware, the original 50-cent cigar tax cap was set to expire on June 30 of this year. The Cigar Association of America (CAA), has been working on this issue, and feels confident of the bill's success in making the 50-cent tax cap permanent.   CAA's state lobbyist will be in touch...

An E-News Update of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets February 19th, 2008 Recent Legislative Actions   The 2008 state and Congressional legislative sessions have begun. Below is a brief summary of current legislative news followed by a summary chart of the various tobacco bills being considered by state legislatures and Congress:   Virginia: On February 14th, the Virginia House of Delegates defeated several bills that would have prohibited smoking in restaurants and other public places. These bills are now dead for the session.   Wyoming: On February 14th, the Wyoming House of Representatives defeated a statewide ban on smoking by preventing the bill from being introduced   Proposed Cigarette and Tobacco Tax...

International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) State Legislature Hearing on Proposed Smoking Ban    Senate Judiciary Committee Set To Hear SB493 Hearing Set for February 13   February 8, 2008 - The Kansas State Legislature's Senate Judiciary Committee will hearing Opposing testimony to Senate Bill 493 on Wednesday, February 13, at 930am, in meeting room S-123 (those in favor of this bill will have testified one day earlier).   SB493 proposes to ban all public smoking throughout the state of Kansas. At this time there are no exemptions included in the legislation for retail tobacco shops, cigar bars, or similar businesses.   With that...

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I found this article from the Google Alert I have set up for Cigars and the first thing that came to mind is, this can't be happening... Not in my Country. Not in the Good Ol' US of A. When are we as a nation going to wake up?! Read the following article and let me know what your opinion... 'nuff said. Lawmakers, staff pan smoke-free Congress By: Anne Schroeder Mullins Jan 15, 2008 06:00 AM EST Updated: January 16, 2008 08:11 AM EST A new rule banning the sale of tobacco products on Capitol grounds has got Hill smokers,...