Orrin Hatch

That's why a year ago I worked with the FDA, and we launched this nationwide effort to protect our children from the dangers of tobacco by reducing access to tobacco products, by preventing companies from advertising to our children. The…

In 1996 Secretary Shalala estimated that the 1996 FDA rule would reduce smoking by 50 percent over 7 years? Guess what? There was no price increase in that regulation. Secretary Shalala used the word ``historic''--this is the most…

Well, there was no price increase in that recognition. How, we are being led to believe that price is the answer. It goes further. David Kesler said this: Don't let the simplicity of these proposals fool you. If all elements of the…

So the payment would not be affected by whether the excise taxes go up or down. The payments would have to be made over a number of years, all $428 billion of them, which is $60 billion more than in the settlement. Is the Senator aware of…

So it is a stiff increase in penalty, but at least it is at a level where perhaps we can get the companies to come back on board and at least voluntarily agree to the advertising protocols, consent protocols, and voluntarily agree to the…

Is the Senator aware of the approach that I have been trying to take toward this, that we believe it should be a payment schedule. There would still be excise taxes. We think it should be a payment schedule that the tobacco companies meet…

Our colleague from Massachusetts, for whom I have the greatest respect, would lead us to believe that all public health experts advocate a $1.50 price increase to reduce teen smoking. There has never been a U.S. price increase of this…

Now, tobacco analyst Martin Feldman, who actually did the economics on this based upon an extensive model, unlike the Treasury Department, who was willing to testify and face cross-examination before the Judiciary Committee, testified…

Is the Senator aware that actually the British Office for National Statistics reported that the percentage of smokers amongst those 11 to 16 increased by 8 percent despite the healthy price increase?

Let me ask the Senator, if he will, using another chart, our colleague argued last night that the 1993 American price decrease led to more youth smoking. I would call my colleague's attention to the fact that in at least 1 year both price…

I think this whole business of trying to prevent kids from smoking being the impetus behind legislation is great politics, but it is nonsense in terms of anything you can put number next to.

Is the Senator aware that today Barry Meier writes a very compelling article in the New York Times. He says: But with the Senate having begun debate on Monday on tobacco legislation, many experts warn that such predictions are little more…

Maybe we have never seen the smoking prevalence rates and prices beyond 1991 in the distinguished Senator's chart because smoking rates did not increase when the tax was decreased by the Canadian government. Now, despite emphatic and…

Since smugglers do not seek identification or IDs, I suspect youth were able to easily obtain bootleg cigarettes. Keep in mind Mexico's per pack price is 94 cents. Right?

Now, the Judiciary Committee--I am sure the Senator is aware of this, too--heard testimony that most of these cigarettes, on that peak, that were imported into the United States were smuggled back into Canada.

Sure. They sent them out and brought them back. People are saying there is not going to be any smuggling here, not going to be any black market. They are ignoring hundreds of thousands of police people. They are ignoring the facts that…

And he talked about how the black market came in with all of the accompanying organized crime and criminal activity to the point where his life was threatened, his family's life was threatened, people were shot at, and all kinds of other…

I have one final concern with the chart that was used by our distinguished friend from Massachusetts on Canadian tobacco use and price. As I said, that chart ended in 1991. When you look from 1991 on, Canadian imports to our country went…

Let me just bring to the distinguished Senator's attention that during that same period of smoking decline in Canada, U.S. youth smoking decreased by 40 percent without a price increase. So much for the reasons that price is the only…

Does the Senator remember back in the late 1980s when the American people made us repeal the catastrophic health insurance legislation, the same public considered and soundly rejected the Rube Goldberg-inspired, Ira Magaziner-designed…

I would submit to you that this is the same public that we can expect to watch us closely as we perform our magic on this particular bill. Does the Senator agree with me with regard to youth smoking?

All right. Why do you think the polls are showing that by a decisive 70 percent to 20 percent margin the public thinks the Congress is more interested in the revenue and spending side of this tobacco legislation than we are in the public…

Now, of course, if you were tied down to particular numbers in a budget table or in a bill financing table and neither could justify these numbers so that precisely the preordained amount of revenue comes into the U.S. Treasury, you might…

If data were unequivocal on the price issue, as some have already argued, or will argue, in this debate, how is it that the Congressional Budget Office--I ask the Senator this --felt compelled to so carefully qualify what some characterize…

Let's be honest here. There are many uncertainties here. We are talking about tobacco price increases never before contemplated or experienced in our country. But as we listen to this debate, I think it would be wise for all of us to heed…