Roy Blunt: “I also am glad to hear the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) say what he had to say about the Virginia law. Mr.…”

“I also am glad to hear the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) say what he had to say about the Virginia law. Mr. Chairman, this just simply includes children in the chain of responsibility. It does not exclude the ability to hold others responsible. In fact, in the District of Columbia and in all 50 States, because of a 1992 law passed by the Congress, it is illegal to sell tobacco products. The 19-year-old store clerk has a penalty if he sells tobacco products to the 17-year-old purchaser, but the 17-year-old purchaser has no penalty. In fact, the 17-year-old purchaser can stand in the parking lot of the convenience store and smoke the pack of cigarettes while the 19-year-old store clerk and the store manager and the store owner are paying fines or having the kind of penalties this Congress said should be on that side of the counter. The gentleman's legislation just says that there should be penalties on both sides of the counter; that the only person involved in this transaction who has no consequences for their action should not be the teen smoker. I urge that we support this amendment.”