Tobacco Bill Stays Alive
Voice vote on tax cuts makes eventual passage more likely
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, June 11) -- Tax breaks for married couples and self-employed workers were added to the tobacco legislation by a voice vote in the Senate Wednesday.
The approval of the Republican-authored tax amendment is a move toward compromise for the hotly contested tobacco bill. The legislation, which is backed by President Bill Clinton, was declared dead earlier this week by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) due to partisan disagreement over amendments.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the author of the original bill, seemed happy as he left the Senate chamber. "Stayin' alive. Stayin' alive," he pronounced with both fists in the air.
McCain's bill may be saved by tax cuts which make it more palatable to the Republican majority. The tax cuts, which will cost an estimated $46 billion over the next 10 years, provide a tax break for married couples earning less than $50,000 a year and allow self-employed workers to deduct the costs of health insurance.
The tax cuts were added by Republicans in an effort to counter the financial effects of the bill -- an extra $1.10 a pack in federal taxes added to the price of cigarettes -- on the working class.
While the tobacco bill may be closer to passage than ever, its future is still far from certain. Democrats and public health advocates are not happy with the amendment because it spends much of the money raised by the bill that had been earmarked for medical research and anti-smoking programs.
Other critics in the Senate say that amendments have destroyed the bill's original focus on combating teen smoking. And Republicans object to a provision in the bill that gives the Food and Drug Administration regulatory power over nicotine.
"It's a little more palatable," Assistant Majority Leader Don Nickles (R-Okla.) told The Associated Press. "But it's still a bad bill." Nickles has been an outspoken opponent of the bill.
Another Democratic move to end discussion by bringing the bill to a vote was defeated in the Senate Thursday in a 56-43 vote, 17 short of the 60 votes required. This was the third such attempt by Democrats this week; all attempts have been defeated with similar margins.
Debate continues on some loose ends in the legislation, which would raise $516 billion over the next 25 years and place limits on cigarette marketing and advertising. Some of the provisions still undecided include how much to limit the fees of tobacco attorneys, set for discussion on Thursday, and what sort of compensation should go to tobacco farmers adversely affected by the bill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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