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WASHINGTON, DC (July 13, 2004) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted this week for an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill that prohibits the use of taxpayer money to administer a buyout of tobacco farmers. The House adopted the bipartisan amendment, which was co-sponsored by Congressman Todd Platts (PA-19), on a voice vote.
The House recently adopted a corporate tax bill (H.R. 4520) that included a $9.6 billion federal buyout provision for tobacco farmers. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later this week.
"I am pleased and proud to be a co-sponsor of this amendment," said Congressman Platts. "It is important to note just in the last several weeks two new reports have come out. In one, the latest data tells us that smokers, on average, have 10 years shorter life expectancies than non-smokers, yet we are proposing the American taxpayer pay $9.6 billion, instead of the industry, to help an industry that shortens the life of users of their products by, on average, 10 years.
Congressman Platts and many other supporters of the amendment support effective Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over tobacco products along with a responsible tobacco buyout that is paid by tobacco companies, not the taxpayers.
"It is important to recognize that there are other proposals that would allow this quota system to end, allow for these small tobacco farmers to be adequately compensated for that right they have in these quotas, but it would be done in a way that is more responsible and that the beneficiary of the buyout, the tobacco industry, which CRS, Congressional Research Service, says will benefit to the tune of about $15 billion over the next 10 years, that the tobacco industry will pay for the buyout, as opposed to the American taxpayer," Platts said.
The Senate version of the bill could combine increased regulation of tobacco products by the FDA with a federal buyout for tobacco farmers. Congressman Platts will await the details of the final conference report before making a decision on the proposal.
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