The flurry of activity on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., this week is dominated by the impending impeachment of President Trump.
If you look closely, however, there are other things happening that, if the process goes as planned, could have a positive impact on the health and well-being of Americans.
Indiana Sen. Todd Young announced this week that his proposed Tobacco to 21 Act has been included in the bipartisan end-of-year funding agreement negotiated by the House and Senate. The proposal was introduced by Young earlier this year to protect middle and high school students from the dangers of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping, by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.
Joining Sen. Young, a Republican, on the bill was a bipartisan group of senators, including Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.
This is a responsible piece of legislation that will address the nationwide epidemic of e-cigarette and tobacco use among teens. According to Young, research shows that 95 percent of adult smokers began smoking before the age of 21. Making it more difficult for young people to obtain these products will be effective way to prevent them from obtaining the products to begin with.
Year-end funding agreements of this type are complicated, all-encompassing pieces of legislation. In the current political climate, future action in unpredictable. But we’re pleased to see this particular provision get this far into the process, and we hope federal lawmakers will continue to push it ahead.
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