Brian Bilbray: “Mr. Chairman, the Lung Association's concern about the sting operations, have been clarified by the legislative council.…”

“Mr. Chairman, the Lung Association's concern about the sting operations, have been clarified by the legislative council. My bill does not obstruct sting operations or conflict with provisions in the Synar amendment. These objections are misplaced. All I have to say to the gentlewoman from Washington, D.C. (Ms. Norton), the City of Alexandria, the City of Baltimore had their legislature require them to treat tobacco possession and use by minors as a law. They were not violated by that. Cities have certain responsibilities, as a mayor I know that, but so do legislatures. We serve as that legislature, like it or not. It is a constitutional obligation and for those of us who have spent a lot of time fighting the tobacco industry and fighting consumption for tobacco, for us to walk away from this opportunity for another year, it shows the hypocrisy of an institution that cannot do its fair share of fighting underage consumption.”