Congress Returns and Begins Work on ENDS & Vaping Issues
As Congress returned from a two week recess, three House Committees addressed issues related to vaping and youth e-cigarette use.
On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on H.R. 2339, the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019, a bill introduced by Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) with 71 cosponsors that raises the legal age of purchase of tobacco products to 21, but also bans all flavors and requires graphic warnings on labels.
In the House Judiciary Committee, H.R. 3942, a bill to expand the PACT Act to apply to e-cigarettes, was approved by unanimous voice vote.
Additionally, the House Appropriations Committee convened a hearing, entitled “E-cigarettes: An Emerging Threat to Public Health,” where representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Connecticut Department of Health and public health groups, testified on the public health implications of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).