States and Tobacco Industry Reach Landmark Settlement
An historic settlement between states and the tobacco industry was reached June 20, 1997. In addition to paying $368.5 billion over the course of 25 years, the tobacco industry has agreed to submit to regulation of tobacco as a drug and to curb advertising and marketing of tobacco products.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
PREAMBLE
This legislation would mandate a total reformation and restructuring of how
tobacco products are manufactured, marketed and distributed in this
country. The nation can thereby see real and swift progress in preventing
underage use of tobacco, addressing the adverse health effects of tobacco
use and changing the corporate culture of the tobacco industry.
The Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") and other public health
authorities view the use of tobacco products by our nation's children as a
"pediatric disease" of epic and worsening proportions that results in new
generations of tobacco dependent children and adults. There is also a
consensus within the scientific and medical communities that tobacco
products are inherently dangerous and cause cancer, heart disease and other
serious adverse health effects.
The FDA and other health authorities have concluded that virtually all new
users of tobacco products are under legal age. President Clinton, the FDA,
the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"), state Attorneys General and public
health authorities all believe that tobacco advertising and marketing
contribute significantly to the use of nicotine-containing tobacco products
by adolescents. These officials have concluded that because past efforts to
restrict advertising and marketing have failed to curb adolescent tobacco
use, sweeping new restrictions on the sale, promotion and distribution of
such products are needed.
Until now, federal and state governments have lacked many of the legal
means and resources they need to address the societal problems caused by
the use of tobacco products. These officials have been armed only with
crude regulatory tools which they view as inadequate to achieve the public
health objectives with which they are charged.
This legislation greatly strengthens both the federal and state
governments' regulatory arsenal and furnishes them with additional
resources needed to address a public health problem that affects millions
of Americans, including most importantly underage tobacco use. Further, it
is contemplated that certain of the obligations of the tobacco companies
will be implemented by a binding, enforceable contractual protocol.
The legislation reaffirms individuals' right of access to the courts, to
civil trial by jury and to full compensatory damages. Resolution through
the Act of potential punitive damages liability of the tobacco industry for
past conduct is only made in the context of the comprehensive settlement
proposed by the legislation. It is not intended to have precedential
effect, nor does it express any position adverse to the imposition of
punitive damages in general or as applied to any other specific industry,
case, controversy or product and does not provide any authority whatsoever
regarding the propriety of punitive damages.
Among other things, the new regime would:
Confirm FDA's authority to regulate tobacco products under the Food, Drug
and Cosmetic Act, making FDA not only the preeminent regulatory agency with
respect to the manufacture, marketing and distribution of tobacco products
but also requiring the tobacco industry to fund FDA's oversight out of
ongoing payments by the manufacturers pursuant to the new regime ("Industry
Payments").
Go beyond FDA's current regulations to ban all outdoor tobacco advertising
and to eliminate cartoon characters and human figures, such as Joe Camel
and the Marlboro Man, two tobacco icons which the public health community
has long assailed as advertising appealing to our nation's youth.
Impose and provide funding out of the Industry Payments for an aggressive
federal enforcement program, including a State-administered retail
licensing system, to stop minors from obtaining tobacco products, while in
no way preventing the States from enacting additional measures.
Ensure that the FDA and the States have the regulatory flexibility to
address issues of particular concern to public health officials, such as
youth tobacco usage and tobacco dependence.
Subject the tobacco industry to severe financial surcharges in the event
underage tobacco use does not decline radically over the next decade.
Empower the federal government to set national standards controlling the
manufacturing of tobacco products and the ingredients used in such
products.
Provide new and flexible regulatory enforcement powers to ensure that the
tobacco industry works to develop and introduce less-hazardous tobacco
products," including, among other things, vesting FDA with the power to
regulate the levels of nicotine in tobacco products.
Require the manufacturers of tobacco products to disclose all previously
non-public internal laboratory research and all new internal laboratory
research generated in the future relating to the health effects or safety
of their products.
Establish a minimum federal standard with tough restrictions on smoking in
public places with enforcement funding from the Industry Payments, while
preserving the authority of state and local governments to enact even more
severe standards.
Authorize and fund from Industry Payments a $500 million annual, national
education-oriented counter-advertising and tobacco control campaign seeking
to discourage the initiation of tobacco use by children and adolescents and
to encourage current tobacco product users to quit use of the products.
Authorize and fund from Industry Payments the annual payment to all States
of significant, ongoing financial compensation to fund health benefits
program expenditures and to establish and fund a tobacco products liability
judgments and settlement fund.
Authorize and fund from Industry Payments a nationwide program,
administered through State governments and the private sector, of smoking
cessation.
The sale of tobacco products to adults would remain legal but subject to
restrictive measures to ensure that they are not sold to underage
purchasers. These measures respond directly to concerns voiced by federal
and state public health officials, the public health community and the
public at large that the tobacco industry should be subject to the
strictest scrutiny and regulatory oversight. This statute imposes
regulatory controls, including civil and criminal penalties, equal to, and
in many respects exceeding, those imposed on other regulated industries.
Further, it imposes on tobacco manufacturers the obligation to provide
funding from Industry Payments for an array of public health initiatives.
The sale, distribution, marketing, advertising and use of tobacco products
are activities substantially affecting interstate commerce. Such products
are sold, marketed, advertised and distributed in interstate commerce on a
nationwide basis, and have a substantial effect on the nation's economy.
The sale, distribution, marketing, advertising and use of such products are
also activities substantially affecting interstate commerce by virtue of
the health care and other costs that federal and State governmental
authorities have attributed to usage of tobacco products.
Various civil actions are pending in state and federal courts arising from
the use, marketing or sale of tobacco products. Among these actions are
cases brought by some 40 state Attorneys General, cases brought by certain
cities and counties, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and other third-party
payor cases seeking to recover monies spent treating tobacco-related
diseases and for the protection of minors and consumers. Also pending in
courts throughout the United States are various private putative class
action lawsuits brought on behalf of individuals claiming to be dependent
upon and injured by tobacco products. Additionally, a multitude of
individual suits have been filed against the tobacco products manufacturers
and/or their distributors, trade associations, law firms and consultants.
All of these civil actions are complex, slow-moving, expensive and
burdensome, not only for the litigants but also for the nation's state and
federal judiciaries. Moreover, none of those litigation's has to date
resulted in the collection of any monies to compensate smokers or
third-party payors. Only national legislation offers the prospect of a
swift, fair, equitable and consistent result that would serve the public
interest by (1) ensuring that a portion of the costs of treatment for
diseases and adverse health effects linked to the use of tobacco products
is borne by the manufacturers of these products, and (2) restricting
nationwide the sale, distribution, marketing and advertising of tobacco
products to persons of legal age. The unique position occupied by tobacco
in the nation's history and economy, the magnitude of actual and potential
tobacco-related litigation, the need to avoid the cost, expense,
uncertainty and inconsistency associated with such protracted litigation,
the need to limit the sale, distribution, marketing and advertising of
tobacco products to persons of legal age, and the need to educate the
public, especially young people, of the health effects of using tobacco
products all dictate that it would be in the public interest to enact this
legislation to facilitate a resolution of the matters described.
Public health authorities believe that the societal benefits of this
legislation, in human and economic terms, would be vast. In particular, FDA
has found that reducing underage tobacco use by 50% "would prevent well
over 60,000 early deaths." FDA has estimated that the monetary value of its
present regulations will be worth up to $43 billion per year in reduced
medical costs, improved productivity and the benefit of avoiding the
premature death of loved ones. This statute, which extends far beyond
anything FDA has previously proposed or attempted, can be expected to
produce human and economic benefits many times greater than such existing
regulations.
As part of this settlement, the tobacco companies recognize the historic
changes that will be occurring to their business. They will fully comply
with increased federal regulation, focus intense efforts on dramatic
reductions in youth access and youth tobacco usage, recognize that the
regulatory scheme encourages the development of products with reduced risk
and acknowledge the predominant public health positions associated with the
use of tobacco products.
Contents
Preamble
Title I: Reformation of the Tobacco Industry
A. Restrictions on Marketing and Advertising
B. Warnings, Labeling and Packaging
C. Restrictions on Access to Tobacco Products
D. Licensing of Retail Tobacco Product Sellers
E. Regulation of Tobacco Product Development and Manufacturing
F. Non-tobacco Ingredients
G. Compliance and Corporate Culture
H. Effective Dates
Title II: "Look Back" Provisions/State Enforcement Incentives
Title III: Penalties and Enforcement; Consent Decrees; Non-Participating
Companies
A. Penalties and Enforcement
B. Consent Decrees
C. Non-participating Companies
Title IV. Nationwide Standards to Minimize Invo~untarv Exposure to
Environmental Tobacco Smoke
Title V: Scope and Effect
A. Scope of FDA Authority
B. State Authority
Title VI: Programs/Funding
A. Up Front Commitment
B. Base Annual Payments
C. Applicability
D. Tax Treatment
Title VII: Public Health Funds From Tobacco Settlement As Recommended by
The Attorneys General For Consideration by the President and the Congress
Title VIII: Civil Liability
A. General
B. Provisions as to Civil Liability for Past Conduct
C. Provisions as to Civil Liability for Future Conduct
Title IX: Board Approval
Appendices:
Appendix I: Warnings in Advertisements
Appendix II: Retail Tobacco Product Seller Penalties
Appendix Ill: Application to Indian Tribes
Appendix IV: Industry Associations
Appendix V: "Look Back"
Appendix VI: State Enforcement Incentives
Appendix VII: Restrictions on Point of Sale Advertising
Appendix VIII: Public Disclosure of Past and Future Tobacco Industry
Documents and Health Research
TITLE I: Reformation Of The Tobacco Industry
Title I of the legislation would incorporate and expand upon FDA's recent
regulation of nicotine-containing tobacco products. The following rules
would apply to all tobacco products sold in the U.S. (including all its
territories and possessions, as well as duty-free shops within U.S.
borders). The new regime would be allowed to operate as described below for
five years. FDA would have authority to make revisions even within this
period under extraordinary circumstances. Thereafter, the FDA would be
authorized to review and revise the rules under applicable Agency
procedures.
A. Restrictions on Marketing and Advertising
The advertising and marketing of tobacco products would be drastically
curtailed, including in ways that exceed the FDA rule as originally
promulgated and in ways that have previously been challenged on First
Amendment grounds. As in the FDA rule? the new regime would:
Prohibit the use of non-tobacco brand names as brand names of tobacco
products except for tobacco products in existence as of January 1,1995
(897.16(a))l
Restrict tobacco product advertising to FDA specified media (897.30(a)(1)-(2))
Restrict permissible tobacco product advertising to black text on a white
background except for advertising in adult-only facilities and in adult
publications (897.32(a)-(b))
Require cigarette and smokeless tobacco product advertisements to carry the
FDA-mandated statement of intended use ("Nicotine Delivery Device")
(897.32(c))
Ban all non-tobacco merchandise, including caps, jackets or bags bearing
the name, logo or selling message of a tobacco brand (897.34(a))
Ban offers of non-tobacco items or gifts based on proof of purchase of
tobacco products (897.34(b))
1-The citations in this and in the next section are to Part 897 of the
FDA's tobacco regulations, 61 Fed. Reg. 44396 (August 28,1996).
Ban sponsorships, including concerts and sporting events, in the name, logo
or selling message of a tobacco brand (897.34(c))
Further, building on and going beyond the FDA rule, the new regime would:
Ban the use of human images and cartoon characters - thereby eliminating
Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man - in all tobacco advertising and on tobacco
product packages
Ban all outdoor tobacco product advertising, including in enclosed stadia
as well as brand advertising directed outside from a retail establishment
(modifies 897.30(a)(1) and extends 897.30(b))
Prohibit tobacco product advertising on the Internet unless designed to be
inaccessible in or from the United States
Establish nationwide restrictions in non adult-only facilities on point of
sale advertising with a view toward minimizing the impact of such
advertising on minors. These provisions, which are detailed in Appendix
VII, restrict point of sale advertising that was otherwise permitted in
retail establishments by the FDA rule.
Ban direct and indirect payments for tobacco product placement in movies,
television programs and video games
Prohibit direct and indirect payments to "glamorize" tobacco use in media
appealing to minors, including recorded and live performances of music
Without limiting the FDA's normal rulemaking authority in this area,
require that the use, in both existing and future brand styles, of words
currently employed as product descriptors (e.g., "light" or "low tar") be
accompanied by a mandatory disclaimer in advertisements (e.g., "Brand X not
shown to be less hazardous than other cigarettes"); exemplars of all new
advertising and tobacco products labeling shall be submitted to FDA
concurrently with their introduction into the marketplace for FDA's ongoing
review.
[Source/precedent: FDA Rule; 21 C.F.R. 101.70]
B. Warnings, Labeling and Packaging
The federally-mandated warning labels on cigarettes were last changed in
1984. Since then a number of countries, including Canada and members of the
European Union, have imposed new warning labels. Further, the Federal Trade
Commission's methodology to measure the "tar" and nicotine yields of
cigarettes has been criticized as producing misleading information.
1. The legislation, through amendments to the Federal Cigarette Labeling
and Advertising Act and the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health
Education Act, would mandate new rotating warnings, to be introduced
concurrently into the distribution chain on all tobacco product packages
and cartons, and to be rotated quarterly in all advertisements. For
cigarettes, the warnings would be:
"WARNING: Cigarettes are addictive"
"WARNING: Tobacco smoke can harm your children"
"WARNING: Cigarettes cause fatal lung disease"
"WARNING: Cigarettes cause cancer"
"WARNING: Cigarettes cause strokes and heart disease"
"WARNING: Smoking during pregnancy can harm your baby"
"WARNING: Smoking can kill you"
"WARNING: Tobacco smoke causes fatal lung disease in non-smokers"
"WARNING: Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your
health"
For smokeless tobacco products, the warnings would be:
"WARNING: This product can cause mouth cancer"
"WARNING: This product can cause gum disease and tooth loss"
"WARNING: This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes"
"WARNING: Smokeless tobacco is addictive"
For cigarettes, the warnings would occupy 25% of the front panel of the
package (including packs and cartons) and would appear on the upper portion
thereof. The legislation would contain a grandfather provision for existing
brands with flip-top boxes comprising less than 25% of the front panel. For
smokeless tobacco products, the warnings would appear on the principal
display panel (e.g., a band around the can for moist smokeless tobacco
products) and would occupy 25% of the display panel. The warnings would be
printed in line with current Canadian standards (e.g., 17 point type with
appropriate adjustments depending on length of required text) and in an
alternating black on white and white on black format. The size and
placement of warnings in advertisements would follow the requirements set
forth in the existing United Kingdom standards. As described in Appendix I,
the warning text and, where relevant, "tar" and nicotine (or other
constituent) yield information would occupy 20% of press advertisements.
Cigarette and smokeless tobacco product packages would also carry the FDA
mandated statement of intended use ("Nicotine Delivery Device") on the side
of pack.
2. The FDA would be required to promulgate a rule governing the testing,
reporting and disclosure of tobacco smoke constituents that the Agency
determines the public should be informed of to protect public health,
including, but not limited to "tar," nicotine and carbon monoxide. This
authority would be transferred from the FTC and would include the authority
to require label and advertising disclosures relating to "tar" and
nicotine, as well as disclosures by other means relating to other
constituents.
[Source/precedent: Canadian warning regulations; FDA Rule; FDCA, 21 U.S.C.
Sec. 360h, with conforming amendment in light of FCLAA]
C. Restrictions on Access to Tobacco Products
Preventing youth access to tobacco products is a major objective of this
legislation and the FDA Rule. Without preventing state and local
governments from imposing stricter measures, the legislation would
incorporate every access restriction of the FDA Rule, and more. As in the
FDA Rule, the legislation would:
Set a minimum age of 18 to purchase tobacco products (897.14(a))
Require retailers to check photo identification of anyone under 27 (897.1
4(b)( I )-(2))
Establish the basic requirement of face-to-face transactions for all sales
of tobacco products (897.14(c))
Ban the sale of tobacco products from opened packages (897.14(d))
Establish a minimum package size of 20 cigarettes (897.16(b))
Impose retailer compliance obligations to ensure that all self-service
displays, advertising, labeling and other items conform with all applicable
requirements (897.14(e))
Ban the sampling of tobacco products (897.16(d))
Ban the distribution of tobacco products through the mail, including
redemption of coupons, except for sales subject to proof of age, with a
review after 2 years by FDA to determine if minors are obtaining tobacco
products through the mail (goes beyond 897.16(c)(2)(i))
Building on and going beyond the FDA Rule, the legislation would:
Ban all sales of tobacco products through vending machines (goes beyond
897.1 6(c)(2)(ii))
Ban self-service displays of tobacco products except in adult-only
facilities. In all other retail outlets, tobacco products must be placed
out of reach of consumers (i.e., behind the counter or under lock-and-key)
or, if on the counter, not visible or accessible to consumers (goes beyond
(897.1 6(c)(2)(ii))
[Source/precedent: FDA Rule]
D. Licensing of Retail Tobacco Product Sellers
The legislation would mandate minimum federal standards for a retail
licensing program that the federal government and state and local
authorities would enforce through funding provided by the Industry
Payments. Any entity that sells directly to consumers - whether a
manufacturer, wholesaler, importer, distributor or retailer -would require
a license.
Elements of the licensing program would include:
Mandating compliance with the Act as a condition to obtain and hold a
license
Penalties for violations (See Appendix II)
Suspension or revocation of licenses (on a site-by-site basis) for certain
violations (see Appendix II)
A requirement that distribution of tobacco products for resale to consumers
be made only to licensed entities
Licensing fees to cover the administrative costs of issuing state licenses
(all other costs covered as noted above)
Comparable federal licensing programs (with federal enforcement) for
military facilities, U.S. government installations abroad? and other U.S.
territories and possessions not otherwise under the jurisdiction of the
States (including duty-free shops within U.S. borders)
Comparable licensing programs to govern tobacco product sales on Indian
lands (see Appendix Ill)
(Source/precedent: Various state laws governing sales of tobacco products
and alcoholic beverages)
E. Regulation of Tobacco Product Development and Manufacturing
This legislation, for the first time, would impose a regulatory regime to
govern the development and manufacturing of cigarettes and smokeless
tobacco products, including FDA approval of the ingredients used in such
products and imposition of standards for reducing the level of certain
constituents, including nicotine.
Elements of the regulatory regime would include:
1. Tobacco products shall have the same definition as contained in the FDA
Rule. Jurisdiction shall also cover Roll Your Own, Little Cigars, Fine Cut,
etc.
2. Tobacco will continue to be categorized as a "drug" and a "device" under
the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act ("FDCA"). The Agency's authority to
regulate the products as restricted medical devices" will be explicitly
recognized and tobacco products will be classified as a new subcategory of
a Class II device pursuant to 21 U.S.C. section 360c. FDCA shall apply to
these products as provided by the Act and the amendments to FDCA contained
herein.
3. The Class II classification shall permit FDA to require product
modification of tobacco products, including the regulation of nicotine
content, and shall provide that the sale of tobacco products to adults in
the form that conforms to Performance Standards established for tobacco
products pursuant to Section 514 ("Section 514") of the
FDCA (21 U.S.C. Section 360d) shall be permitted notwithstanding 21 U.S.C.
Sections 360f, 352) and 360h(e)
4. Reduced Risks Products
Products sold that an objective, reasonable consumer would believe pose
less of a health risk:
Tobacco product manufacturers will be barred from making claims that could
reasonably be interpreted to state or imply a reduced health risk unless
the manufacturer demonstrates to FDA that the product scientifically does
in fact "significantly reduce the risk to health" from ordinary tobacco
products. Currently employed product descriptors such as "light" and "low
tar" will be regulated as described in 1(A) above.
FDA would have to approve all health claims (direct or implied), as well as
the content and placement of any such claims in advertisements, to prevent
the public from being misled and to prevent the advertisement from being
used to expand, or prevent the contraction of, the marketplace.
For "less hazardous tobacco products", FDA will be authorized to permit
scientifically-based specific health claims and to permit exceptions to the
advertising restrictions that apply to other products if FDA determines
that such advertising would reduce harm and promote the public health. The
FDA will promulgate a rule to govern how these determinations will be made.
The manufacturers will be required to notify FDA of any technology that
they develop or acquire and that reduces the risk from tobacco products
and, for a commercially reasonable fee, to cross license all such
technology, but only to those companies also covered by the same
obligations. Procedural protections will be built in to resolve license fee
disputes, if the private parties cannot agree among themselves first. If
the technology reported to the FDA is in the early development stages, the
manufacturer will be provided confidentiality protection during the development process.
The Agency shall also have the authority to mandate the introduction of
"less hazardous tobacco products" that are technologically feasible, after
a formal rule making subject to the Administrative Procedures Act ("APA"),
with the right of judicial review. In doing so, the Agency shall have the
authority to mandate that a manufacturer subject to this Act who owns such
technology (at such manufacturer's election) either introduce such
products, or, at a commercially reasonable market rate, license such
technology to a manufacturer who agrees to bring the technology to market
in a reasonable time frame. In the event that no manufacturer or licensee
introduces such "less hazardous tobacco products," within a reasonable time
frame set by FDA, then the U.S. Public Health Service may produce either
itself, or through a licensing arrangement, any such product.
The goal of any rule mandating the introduction into the marketplace of
"less hazardous tobacco products" for which the technology exists is to
guarantee that a mechanism exists to ensure that products which appear to
hold out the hope of reducing risk are actually tested and made available
in the marketplace and not held back.
5. Performance Standards
To further the public health, to promote the production of "reduced risk"
tobacco products, and to minimize the harm to consumers of tobacco products
by insuring that the best available, feasible safety technology becomes the
industry standard, FDA will have the authority to promulgate Performance
Standards pursuant to Section 514 that require the modification of tobacco
products to reduce the harm caused by those products (including the
components that produce drug dependence), provided that the standard shall
not require the prohibition on the sale to adults of traditional tobacco
products in the basic form as described in the August 28, 1996 FDA Rule at
61 Fed. Reg. at 44616 (to be codified at 21 C.F.R. Section 897.3).
Specifically:
A. For a period of no fewer than twelve years following the effective date
of the Act, the product Performance Standards will be governed by the
following: The Agency shall be permitted to adopt performance standards
that require the modification of existing tobacco products, including the
gradual reduction, but not the elimination, of nicotine yields, and the
possible elimination of other constituents or other harmful components of
the tobacco product, based upon a finding that the modification: (a) will
result in a significant reduction of the health risks associated with such
products to consumers thereof, (b) is technologically feasible, and (c)
will not result in the creation of a significant demand for contraband or
other tobacco products that do not meet the product safety standard. In
determining the risk of the demand for a market in contraband products, the
FDA shall take into account the number of dependent tobacco product users
and the availability, or lack thereof, of alternative products then on the
market and such other factors as the Agency may deem relevant.
The authority to require such product modification can be exercised upon a
showing of "substantial evidence?" based upon an administrative record
developed through a formal rule making subject to the Administrative
Procedures Act, with the right of judicial review, and any such
modification shall be subject to the current procedures of the Regulatory
Reform Act of 1996 to provide time and a process for Congress to intervene
should it so choose. In the event a party subsequently files a petition
seeking an administrative review of whether a modification has, in fact,
resulted in the creation of a significant demand for contraband or other
tobacco products that do not meet the safety standard and FDA denies the
petition, the petitioner shall have the right to seek judicial review of
the denial of the petition.
Additionally:
Within one year of the effective date of this Act, the FDA shall establish
a Scientific Advisory Committee to examine and determine the effects of the
alteration of nicotine yield levels and to examine and determine whether
there is a threshold level below which nicotine yields do not produce drug
dependence and, if so, to determine that level, and also review any other
safety, dependence or health issue so designated by FDA.
Separate from and without detracting from the Agency's authority under the
requirements of the Section 514 Performance Standard noted above, effective
three years from the date of enactment of this Act, no cigarette shall be
sold in the United States which exceeds a 12 mg "tar" yield, using the
testing methodology now being used by the Federal Trade Commission.
B. After the initial twelve year period, the Agency will be permitted to
set product safety standards that go beyond the standards it is authorized
to set pursuant to the above noted provisions and, if it does so, any such
product Performance Standards shall be governed by the following: The
Agency will be permitted to require the alteration of tobacco products then
being marketed, including the elimination of nicotine and the elimination
of other constituents or other demonstrated harmful components of the
tobacco product,1 based upon a finding that: (a) the safety standard will
result in a significant overall reduction of the health risks to tobacco
consumers as a group,2 (b) the modification is technologically feasible,
and (c) the modification will not result in the creation of a significant
demand for contraband or other tobacco products that do not meet the safety
standard. In determining the overall health benefit of a change, the Agency
shall consider the number of dependent tobacco users then in existence, the
availability and demonstrated market acceptance of alternate products then
on the market, and the effectiveness of smoking cessation techniques and
devices then on the market and such other factors as the Agency may deem
relevant.
Given the significance of such an action, the Agency will be permitted to
require the elimination of nicotine or take such other action that would
have an effect comparable to the elimination of nicotine based upon a
"preponderance of the evidence" pursuant to, at a manufacturer's election,
a Part 12 hearing, or notice and comment rule making, with a right of
judicial review. Any such action shall be phased in, and no such phase-in
shall begin in less than two years, to permit time for a meaningful
Congressional review pursuant to the current procedures of the Regulatory
Reform Act of 1996. In the event a party subsequently files a petition
seeking an administrative review of whether a modification has, in fact,
resulted in the creation of a significant demand for contraband or other
tobacco products that do not meet the safety standard and the FDA denies
the petition, the petitioner shall have the right to seek judicial review
of the denial of the petition.
1 The elimination of nicotine or other harmful constituent shall not be
deemed to violate the prohibition on the sale of traditional tobacco
products to adults, even if it results in a reduction of the number of the
consumers who use the tobacco products then remaining on the market.
2 This includes the reduction in harm which will result from decreased drug
dependence from the reduction and/or elimination of nicotine from (a) those
who continue to use tobacco products, but less often, and (b) those who
stop using tobacco products.
In any judicial review, the deference accorded to the Agency's findings
shall depend upon the extent to which the matter at issue is then within
the Agency's field of expertise.
6. Manufacturing Oversight
The, legislation would subject tobacco product manufacturers to good
manufacturing practice standards ("GMPs") comparable to those applicable to
medical device manufacturers, food companies and other FDA regulated
industries, but tailored specifically to tobacco products. In this regard
there would be:
Implementation of a quality control system (e.g., to prevent contamination)
Inspection of tobacco product materials (e.g., to ensure compliance with
quality standards)
Requirements for proper handling of finished product
Tolerances for pesticide chemical residues in or on commodities in the
possession of the manufacturer; existing EPA authority and oversight is
retained
Inspection authority comparable to FDA's authority over other FDA regulated
products, including the ability to enter manufacturing plants and demand
certain records
Record keeping and reporting requirements
Tobacco farmers will face no greater regulatory burden than the producers
of other raw products regulated by the federal government.
[Source/precedent: FDA Rule; FDCA, 21 U.S.C. Sections 346a; 360]
7. Access to Company Information
The Act would ensure that previously non-public or confidential the files
of the tobacco industry - including internal documents - are disclosed to
FDA, private litigants The details of the arrangement are set forth in
documents from health research and the public. Appendix VI II.
Any subpoena authority FDA has with respect to manufacturers of medical
devices generally would also apply to tobacco product manufacturers.
F. Non-tobacco Ingredients
Currently, at the federal level, tobacco manufacturers are required only to
submit aggregated ingredient information (not by brand or company) to HHS
for monitoring and review. Nor do tobacco products manufacturers currently
disclose to consumers ingredients information for each of the tobacco
products they sell.
The legislation would supersede the current often-criticized federal
ingredient law and confirm FDA's authority to evaluate all additives in
tobacco products. No non-tobacco ingredient could be used in manufacturing
tobacco products unless the manufacturer can demonstrate that such
ingredient is not harmful under the intended conditions of use. Further,
the legislation would require the manufacturers to disclose to FDA the
ingredients and the amounts thereof in each brand. In addition, it would
require manufacturers to disclose ingredient information to the public
under regulations comparable to what current federal law requires for food
products, reflecting the intended conditions of use.
Under this proposed legislation:
Manufacturers would be required to provide FDA on a confidential basis a
list of all ingredients, substances and compounds (other than tobacco,
water or reconstituted tobacco sheet made wholly from tobacco) which are
added by the manufacturer to the tobacco, paper or filter of the tobacco
product by brand and by quantity in each brand. For each such item, the
manufacturer would identify whether or not it believes that the item would
be exempt from public disclosure under the legislation.
Manufacturers would be required to submit, within 5 years of the enactment
of the Act, for each ingredient currently added to the tobacco product, a
safety assessment, based on the best available evidence, that there is a
reasonable certainty in the minds of competent scientists that the
ingredient (up to a specified amount) is not harmful under the intended
conditions of use. FDA shall promulgate applicable regulations within 12
months.
Within a statutory time assessment(s) in accordance within 90 days, FDA
shall period FDA must review with the applicable standard; approve or
disapprove an ingredient's safety, and if FDA takes no action, the
ingredient is deemed approved. FDA may also challenge any manufacturer's
assertion that an ingredient would be exempt from disclosure to consumers
under applicable regulations comparable to what current federal law
requires for food products.
New ingredients or use of current ingredients beyond the specified maximum
amount are subject to a comparable process prior to use.
FDA would be required to protect as strictly confidential ingredient
information not otherwise subject to public disclosure. If not subject to
such disclosure, this information will be treated as trade secrets under
federal law, exempt from FOIA requests and protected by procedures which
shall include the designation of an agent who will store it in a locked
cabinet, maintain a record of any person who has access to the information
and require a written confidentiality commitment from any such person.
Manufacturers would be required to disclose to the public ingredients
information pursuant to regulations comparable to what current federal law
requires for food products. During an initial 5 year period, each
ingredient that would be exempt from disclosure under the food regime would
be presumed not to be subject to disclosure unless FDA disproves its
safety. However, manufacturers would be required to disclose all
ingredients which they have been compelled to publicly disclose with
respect to a particular brand in order to comply with a statute or
regulation (e.g., MA Ch 94 §307B).
Manufacturers would be required to have procedures for the selection,
testing, purchase, storage and use of ingredients. The Act would:
Provide for record keeping regarding ingredients
Allow FDA access to such records, with protection of proprietary
information
[Source/precedent: MA Chapter 94, §307B; 21 C.F.R. §§101.4, 101.105, and
101.170; 18 U.S.C. §1905; 5 U.S.C. §552(b)(4); MA proposed reg. 105 C.M.R.
§660.200(G)]
G. Compliance and Corporate Culture.
A key element in achieving the Act's goals will be forcing a fundamental
change in the way the tobacco industry does business. Accordingly, the Act
will provide for means to ensure that the industry will not only comply
with the letter of the law but will also have powerful incentives to
prevent underage usage of tobacco products and to strive to develop and
market less hazardous tobacco products.
First manufacturers would be required to create plans, with an annual
review and update, to:
Ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations
Identify ways to achieve the goals of reduced youth access to and incidence
of underage consumption of tobacco products and provide internal incentives
for doing so
Provide internal incentives to develop products with reduced risk
Second, with a special emphasis on laws and regulations that make it
unlawful to sell tobacco products to underage persons and other laws
directed at the issue of underage tobacco use, the manufacturers must
implement compliance programs that include, at a minimum, the following
elements:
Compliance standards and procedures to be followed by employees and agents
that are reasonably capable of reducing the prospect of violations
Assignment to specific individual(s) within high-level personnel of the
organization of overall responsibility to oversee compliance with the
relevant standards and procedures, especially in regard to preventing
underage tobacco use
Use of due care not to delegate substantial discretionary authority to
individuals who the organization knows, or should have known through the
exercise of due diligence, had a propensity to disregard corporate policy
Steps to communicate relevant standards and procedures to all employees and
other agents (including lobbyists), e.g., by requiring participation in
training programs or by disseminating publications that explain in a
practical manner what is required
Internal audits, hotlines and other measures to promote compliance
Appropriate disciplinary mechanisms and measures (e.g., discipline of
employees who violate marketing restrictions)
Reasonable steps to respond appropriately to a violation and to prevent
further similar violations
Furthermore, the Act would provide "whistleblowers" in the tobacco industry
with the maximum protection available under current federal statutes.
Beyond compliance with the letter of the law, manufacturers would be
required to take affirmative steps in furtherance of the spirit of the new
regime, including:
Promulgating corporate principles that express and explain the company's
commitment to compliance, reductions of underage tobacco use, and
development of reduced risk tobacco products
Designating a specific individual within high-level personnel of the
organization with appropriate responsibility and authority to promote
efforts to attain these new standards
Providing reports to shareholders on compliance as well as progress toward
meeting these new standards
Manufacturers would also be required to work with retail organizations on
compliance, including retailer compliance checks and financial incentives
for compliance.
Third, each tobacco manufacturer would require all contract lobbyists (and
any other third-parties who may engage in lobbying activities on behalf of
a manufacturer) to agree that they will not support or oppose any state or
federal legislation, or seek or oppose any governmental action on any
matter, without the manufacturer's express authorization. Manufacturers
would also require anyone lobbying on their behalf to agree in writing that
a) they are aware of and will fully comply with all applicable laws and
regulations; b) they have reviewed and will fully comply with the Act as it
applies to them; c) they have reviewed and will fully comply with the
Consent Decree as it applies to them; and d) they have reviewed and will
fully abide by the manufacturer's business conduct policies and any other
policies and commitments as they apply, especially those related to
prevention of youth tobacco usage.
Fourth, within ninety days after the Act's effective date, the Tobacco
Institute and the Council for Tobacco Research, U.S.A. would be dissolved
and disbanded. Tobacco product manufacturers would be permitted to form new
trade associations only in accordance with strict procedures and federal
oversight designed to ensure compliance with antitrust and other applicable
laws. (See Appendix IV)
Finally, companies would be subject to fines and penalties (including
"Scarlet Letter" advertising) for breaching their obligations vis-a'-vis
the development, implementation and enforcement of compliance plans and
corporate principles. These penalties shall follow the scheme set forth in
the Clean Air Act, up to $25,000 per day per violation with a total not to
exceed $200,000. In addition, each manufacturer's employees shall be
directed to report to that manufacturer's compliance officer any known or
alleged violations of this Act by retailers or distributors. In accordance
with procedures established by FDA, the compliance officer shall be
required to furnish all such reports to FDA for reference to appropriate
federal or state enforcement authorities. The manufacturer shall be subject
to fines or penalties in the event its compliance officer fails to furnish
any such reports to FDA.
[Source/precedent: Federal Organizational Sentencing Guidelines; various
federal consent decrees; various corporate environmental programs]
H. Effective Dates
Many of the foregoing requirements relating to the reformation of the
tobacco industry will become effective shortly after the Act is signed by
the President; including the following categories of new rules, which will
be implemented on the dates indicated:
Category Effective
Dates on Final Passage
Retail Product Displays
9 months
Retail signage
5 months
Advertising
9 months
Package Labeling
1/3 in 90 days
1/3 in 120 days
1/3 in 180 days
Sponsorships
12/31/98
Vending machines
12 months
Sampling
3 months
GMPs
24 months in accordance with rulemaking, whichever is later
Corporate compliance
12 month
Face-to-face transactions
3 months
Ban on sales of open packs
3 months
20 cigarettes per pack minimum
3 months
Puerto Rico pack size
12 months
TITLE II: "Look Back" Provisions/State Enforcement incentives
A central aim of this legislation is to achieve dramatic and immediate
reductions in the number of underage consumers of tobacco products. The
legislation accordingly contains a "look-back" provision giving tobacco
product manufacturers significant economic incentives to take every
possible step to ensure that the advertising, marketing and distribution
requirements of this Act are met, and imposing substantial surcharges on
the manufacturers in the event that underage tobacco-use reduction targets
are not achieved.
The "look-back" provision sets targets for the dramatic reduction of
current levels of underage tobacco use (as measured by the University of
Michigan's National High School Drug Use Survey "Monitoring the Future").
Underage use of cigarette products must decline by at least 30% from
estimated levels over the last decade by the fifth year after the
legislation takes effect, by at least 50% from estimated levels over the
last decade by the seventh year after the legislation takes effect, by at
least 60% from estimated levels over the last decade by the tenth year
after the legislation takes effect, and remain at such reduced levels or
below thereafter. (These required reductions amount to even steeper
declines from current levels of underage smoking.) Underage use of
smokeless tobacco products must decline by at least 25% from current levels
by the fifth year after the legislation takes effect, by at least 35% from
current levels by the seventh year after the legislation takes effect, by
at least 45% from current levels by the tenth year after the legislation
takes effect, and remain at such reduced levels or below thereafter. FDA
will annually assess the prevalence of underage tobacco use (based on the
methodology employed by the University of Michigan survey) to determine
whether these targets have been met.
If a target has not been met, FDA will impose a mandatory surcharge on the
relevant industry (cigarette or smokeless tobacco) based upon an
approximation of the present value of the profit the industry would earn
over the lives of all underage users in excess of the target (subject to an
annual cap of $2 billion for the cigarette industry (adjusted each year for
inflation) and a comparably derived cap for the smokeless tobacco
industry). Tobacco product manufacturers could receive a partial abatement
of this surcharge (up to 75%) only if they could thereafter prove to FDA
that they had fully complied with the Act, had taken all reasonably
available measures to reduce youth tobacco use and had not taken any action
to undermine the achievement of the required reductions.
A fuller description is provided in Appendix V.
In addition, the proposed Act goes well beyond the provisions of the Synar
Amendment's "no tobacco sales to minors" law and related regulations, 42
U.S.C. § 300X-26, and the Final Rule promulgated thereunder, which became
effective February 20,1996 (61 Fed. Reg., June 19,1996). The proposed Act
requires the several States to undertake significant enforcement steps
designed to dramatically reduce the incidence of youth smoking, and youth
access to tobacco products. These enforcement obligations are funded by
Industry Payments. Each state must maintain specific levels of enforcement
effort, or the state risks the loss of a significant portion of the health
care program funds otherwise payable to the state under the Act Amounts
withheld from states not doing an adequate enforcement job will be
reallocated to states with a superior "no sales to minors" enforcement
record. No state will be held responsible for sales to underage consumers
outside that state's jurisdiction.
The details of these state enforcement incentives are set forth in Appendix
VI.
TITLE Ill: Penalties and Enforcement; Consent Decrees;
Non-Participating Companies
A. Penalties and Enforcement
This legislation will be enforceable both by the federal government,
including FDA and civil and criminal divisions of the Department of
Justice, and by the several States. FDA will also have the authority to
contract directly with state agencies to assist with enforcement. If
conduct is subject to a particular State's consumer protection law or
similar statute, such state may proceed under that law.
State enforcement actions - whether brought under the Act or a State's
consumer protection law - could not impose obligations or requirements
beyond those imposed by the legislation (except where the legislation does
not specifically preempt additional state-law obligations), and would be
limited to the civil and criminal penalties established by the legislation
and by the prohibition on duplicative penalties. State enforcement
proceedings under the Act (or predicated on conduct violating the Act),
except those exclusively local in nature, would be removable to federal
court. Nothing in the Act precludes a State from enforcing its laws in the
ordinary fashion as to matters not covered by the Act or Protocol.
Civil and criminal penalties for violations of the legislation based on
those governing other drugs or devices regulated under the Food, Drug and
Cosmetic Act and, where applicable, under Title 18 of the U.S. Code.
In addition, the industry faces civil penalties of up to $10 million per
violation for any violations of the obligations to disclose to the FDA
research about tobacco-product health effects and information regarding the
toxicity of non-tobacco ingredients and constituents used in their
products. This penalty is ten times the largest penalty faced by other drug
or device manufacturers for similar violations.
To reflect the fact that not all States have filed lawsuits against the
tobacco industry, but that the intent of the negotiators is to provide the
benefits of the settlement to all States, the industry also will enter into
a binding and enforceable national tobacco control
Protocol embodying certain terms of the proposed resolution. As an
enforceable contract, which would not be subject to facial constitutional
challenge, this Protocol will provide benefits and enforcement rights to
the federal government and all states.
B. Consent Decrees
Certain terms of the agreement will also be reiterated in consent decrees
between the tobacco industry and the states that will not take effect until
after enactment of the Act. These consent decrees will be identical to, and
will reiterate, the terms of the agreement with respect to: (1)
restrictions on advertising, marketing and youth access to tobacco
products; (2) trade associations; (3) restrictions on lobbying; (4)
disclosure of tobacco smoke constituents; (5) disclosure of non-tobacco
ingredients; (6) disclosure of existing and future industry documents
relating to health, toxicity and addiction; (7) compliance and corporate
culture; (8) obligations to make monetary payments to the States reflecting
their reasonable share of the total provided by the Act; (9) obligations of
the industry to deal only with distributors and retailers that operate in
compliance with applicable provisions of law respecting the distribution,
sale and marketing of tobacco products; (10) warnings, labeling and
packaging (to the extent noted below); and (11) dismissal of other pending
litigation specified by the parties.
The consent decrees will not contain provisions as to: (1) product design,
performance or modification; (2) manufacturing standards and good
manufacturing practices; (3) testing and regulation with respect to
toxicity and ingredients approval; and (4) the national FDA "look back"
provisions.
The consent decrees will provide that their terms are to be construed in
conformity with the Act and the Protocol and with each other. State
proceedings to enforce the provisions of the consent decrees may be brought
in state court, subject to an acceptable procedure to ensure consistent
rulings with respect to conduct that is not exclusively local in character.
State proceedings to enforce the consent decrees may seek injunctive relief
only, and may not seek criminal or monetary sanctions. A State shall not be
limited from seeking criminal or other sanctions for a company's subsequent
violation of an injunction entered by the court in an action brought to
enforce the consent decree
The provisions of the consent decrees will remain enforceable regardless of
whether subsequent changes in the Act or in any other provision of law
diminish the obligations of the companies in the areas covered by the
consent decrees, except: (1) where such changes create federal requirements
that produce obligations in conflict with those contained in the consent
decrees; (2) with respect to the allocation of funds; and (3) with respect
to warnings, labeling and packaging. With respect to warnings, labeling and
packaging, if the requirements of the Act are later modified, or if
Congress subsequently prohibits warnings on tobacco products, the consent
decrees will be modified to conform to such requirements. However, if
Congress later eliminates altogether the warning requirement in the Act,
the warnings originally set forth in the Act (the so-called Canadian
warnings) shall be mandated and enforceable under the consent decrees.
In addition, the parties recognize that certain provisions of the consent
decrees and the agreement may require them to act (or refrain from acting)
in a manner that they might otherwise claim would violate the federal or
state constitutions. They will therefore in the consent decrees expressly
waive any claim that the provisions of the consent decrees or the agreement
violate the federal or state constitutions. The consent decrees will also
state that if a provision of the Act covered by the decrees is subsequently
declared unconstitutional, the provision remains an enforceable term of the
consent decrees.
C. Non-participating companies
The regime envisioned by the resolution would be substantially undercut if
certain companies were free to ignore the limitations it imposes, and were
instead able to sell tobacco products at lower prices (because they were
not making the payments described above) and through less restricted
advertising and marketing activities. The resolution accordingly
anticipates the possibility that some manufacturers of tobacco products may
not consent to the institution of this regime. Rather than seeking to
impose on such manufacturers the advertising restrictions, full required
payments and corporate culture changes set forth above, the resolution
avoids constitutional questions that might otherwise be raised by
establishing a separate regime for non-participating manufacturers.
Non-participating manufacturers would be subject to the access restrictions
and regulatory oversight set forth above. They would receive none of the
civil liability protections described in Title VIII. Their product would be
subject to a user fee equal to the portion of the payments by participating
manufacturers allocated to fund public health programs and federal and
state enforcement of the access restrictions. The resolution further
recognizes that - unlike the participating manufacturers -
non-participating manufacturers will not have made consensual payments to
settle governmental actions for health care costs, to settle class actions
and in to provide consideration for the partial settlement of individual
tort actions (including punitive damages claims). Because such actions
would remain wholly unsatisfied, it is vital that the claimants be ensured
that funds will be available to satisfy any judgments that may be obtained.
Accordingly, the resolution requires that each nonparticipating
manufacturer place into an escrowed reserve fund each year an amount equal
to 150% of its share of the annual payment required of participating
manufacturers (other than the portion allocated to public health programs
and federal and state enforcement). These escrowed funds would be earmarked
for potential liability payments, and the manufacturer would reclaim them
with interest 35 years later to the extent they had not been paid out in
liability.
Moreover, the resolution also recognizes that - because nonparticipating
manufacturers are not subject to the corporate culture commitments
requiring manufacturers to monitor distributor and retailer compliance with
the underage access restrictions -distribution and retail sales of those
manufacturers' products present a particularly great obstacle to the
achievement and enforcement of the access restrictions. Accordingly, the
resolution provides that the exemption from civil liability applicable to
distributors and retailers of the products of participating manufacturers
will not apply to distributors and retailers who handle tobacco products of
non-participating manufacturers.
Title IV: Nationwide Standards To Minimize
Involuntary Exposure To Environmental Tobacco Smoke Until now, there has
been no minimum or other federal standard governing smoking in public
places or at work. The legislation would:
Restrict indoor smoking in "public facilities" (i.e., any building
regularly entered by 10 or more individuals at least one day per week) to
ventilated areas with systems that:
Exhaust the air directly to the outside;
Maintain the smoking area at "negative pressure" compared with adjoining
areas; and Do not recirculate the air inside the public facility.
Ensure that no employee shall be required to enter a designated smoking
area while smoking is occurring. Cleaning and maintenance work in a
designated smoking area shall be conducted while no smoking is occurring.
Exempt restaurants (but not "fast food" restaurants)1 and bars (including
those in hotels), private clubs, hotel guest rooms, casinos, bingo parlors,
tobacco merchants and prisons.
Direct OSHA to issue, not later than one year after the effective date of
the legislation, regulations implementing and enforcing the preceding
standards, with enforcement costs paid out of the Industry Payments. The
smoking restrictions outlined in this Title would take effect on the first
anniversary of the enactment of the legislation
1 "Fast food" restaurant means any restaurant or chain of restaurants which
primarily distributes food via customer pick-up (either at a counter or
drive-through window). In addition, OSHA would be authorized to issue
regulations clarifying this definition to the extent necessary to ensure
that the intended inclusion of establishments catering largely to minors is
achieved. Any such regulation may consider such factors as whether a
restaurant either has attached playgrounds or play areas for children, uses
ad campaigns that feature or prominently include cartoon characters and/or
toy giveaways or advertises "happy meal" or other comparable
kids-combination platters, and other factors OSHA deems relevant
irrespective of whether the implementing regulations have been promulgated.
The legislation would not preempt or otherwise affect any other state or
local law or regulation that restricts smoking in public facilities in an
equal or stricter manner. Nor would the legislation preempt or otherwise
affect any federal rules that restrict smoking in federal facilities.
[Source/precedent: H.R. 3434, as reported out of committee; WISHA workplace
smoking rule; state law exemptions for the "hospitality sector"]
TITLE V: Scope and Effect
A. Scope of FDA Authority
All product sold in U.S. commerce
Covers new entrants; imports; U.S. duty free, etc.
BATF to retain fiscal authority over tobacco products
FTC to retain existing authority, except for "tar", nicotine, and carbon
monoxide testing Grower Limitation: FDA jurisdiction does not extend to the
growing, cultivation or curing of raw tobacco (USDA has exclusive
authority).
B. State Authority
1. Preservation of State and Local Government Laws and Legal Authority
While setting a federal "floor" for tobacco control measures in many
substantive areas, this legislation preserves, to the maximum extent, state
and local government authority to take additional tobacco control measures
that further restrict or eliminate the product's use by and accessibility
to minors. This legislation also permits state and local governments to
enact measures that further restrict or eliminate employee and general
public exposure to smoking in workplaces and in other public and private
places and facilities.
The legal authority of a state or local government to further regulate,
restrict or eliminate the sale or distribution of tobacco products, and to
impose state or local taxes on such products, also remains unchanged.
The legislation retains similar flexibility for Indian tribes, military
facilities and other federal agencies.
2. Uniformity of Warning Labels, Packaging, Labeling and Other Advertising
Requirements; Manufacturing Requirements
Current federal law providing for national uniformity of warning labels,
packaging and labeling requirements, and advertising and promotion
requirements related to tobacco and health, is preserved, except that this
legislation gives FDA express authority to require changes in the language
of the warnings, subject to the standard requirement that it provide public
notice and a hearing opportunity prior to making such changes.
Similarly, the provisions of FDCA designed to provide uniformity in product
manufacturing and design requirements relating to medical devices will
apply to tobacco products, except that any application by a State or
locality for an exemption permitting it to adopt additional or different
requirements relating to performance standards or good manufacturing
practices may only be granted if the requirement would not unduly burden
interstate commerce. Further, to ensure that FDA has an adequate
opportunity to evaluate non-tobacco ingredients as described in Title 1(F),
no exemption relating to ingredients may be applied for until the fifth
anniversary of the effective date of the Act.
TITLE VI: Programs/Funding
TOTAL 25 YEAR PACKAGE FACE VALUE - $368.5 Billion
A. Up Front Commitment - Lump Sum Cash Payment - $10 Billion
1. Payable on Statute Signing Date.
B. Base Annual Payments - 25 Year Total Face Value is Billion (Figures
Subject to Inflation Protection and Volume Adjustments)
1. Duration - annual payments in perpetuity
2. Commencement - 12/31 of first full year after statute signing
3. Face Amounts (includes payments from all industry sources): $358.5
Year: 1
Payments:$8.5 B
Amount:$6 B
Trust: $2.5 B
Year: 2
Payments:$9.5 B
Amount: $7 B
Trust: $2.5 B
Year: 3
Payments: $11.5 B
Amount: $8 B
Trust: $ 3.5 B
Year: 4
Payments: $14 B
Amount: $10 B
Trust: $4 B
Year: 5
Payments: $15 B
Amount: $10 B
Trust: $ 5 B
Year: 6-8
Payments: $15 B
Amount: $12.5 B
Trust: $2.5 B
Year: 9
Payments: $15 B
Amount: $15 B
Trust:
4. Inflation Protection for Annual Payments Greater of 3% or CPI applied
each year on previous year, beginning with first annual payment.
5. Adjustment for Volume Decrease (Adult Volume Only) or Total Volume
Increase
Beginning in year 1; payment made equal to scheduled annual payment times
the ratio of actual relevant domestic tobacco product unit sales volume to
relevant base volume. In the event of a decline in volume, relevant actual
volume and relevant base volume are adult volume figures; in the event of
an increase in volume, relevant actual volume and relevant base volume are
total volume figures. Base volume is 1996 volume.
Any reduction in an annual payment will be reduced by 25% of any increase
above the industry's base year net operating profits (after application of
inflator discussed above) from domestic sales of tobacco products.
6. Payment Protection
Provide for payment priority/continuation during bankruptcy/ reorganization
proceedings. Protocol cannot be rejected in bankruptcy. Obligation for
annual payments responsibility only of entities selling into domestic
market
7. Pass-Through
In order to promote maximum reduction in youth smoking, the statute would
provide for the Annual Payments to be reflected in the prices manufacturers
charge for tobacco products.
C. Applicability
1. Applicable to All Sellers of Tobacco Products Through protocol and
statute to protocol signatories. Through alternative statutory provisions
to non-signatories.
D. Tax Treatment
All payments pursuant to this Agreement (including those pursuant to Title
II) shall be deemed ordinary and necessary business expenses for the year
of payment, and no part thereof is either in settlement of an actual or
potential liability for a fine or penalty (civil or criminal) or the cost
of a tangible or intangible asset.
TITLE VII: Public Health Funds From Tobacco Settlement
As Recommended By The Attorneys General For Consideration
By The President And The Congress
BASED ON THE PREMISE OF $1 BILLION FOR THE FIRST YEAR AND GRADUALLY
INCREASING TO $1.5 BILLION THEREAFTER, ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION AFTER THE
FIRST YEAR.
BASED ON THE PREMISE OF $1 BILLION FOR SMOKING CESSATION FOR THE FIRST 4
YEARS AND $1.5 BILLION THEREAFTER, ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION.
(A) ALLOCATION OF GRANT MONIES AMONG PROGRAMS - The use of moneys under
this Section shall be limited to programs established under this Section,
shall be adjusted for inflation annually from the effective date, and shall
be allocated among such programs as follows:
(1) $125,000,000 for the first three years and $225,000,000 annually
thereafter to the Secretary of HHS to accomplish the purposes described in
Paragraph (B) of this Section (Reduction in Tobacco Usage);
(2) $300,000,000 annually for the FDA to carry out its obligations under
and to enforce the terms of this Act, including for grants to the states to
assist in the enforcement of the provisions of the Act;
(3) $75,000,000 for the first two years, $100,000,000 in the third year,
and $125,000,000 annually thereafter to fund state and local tobacco
control community based efforts modeled on the ASSIST program, designed to
encourage community involvement in reducing tobacco use and the enactment
and implementation of policies designed to reduce the use of tobacco
products;
(4) $100,000,000 annually to fund research and the development of methods
for how to discourage individuals from starting to use tobacco and how to
help individuals to quit using tobacco;
(5) Beginning in the second year, $75,000,000 annually for a period of ten
(10) years to compensate events, teams or entries in such events, who lose
sponsorship by the tobacco industry as a result of this Act, or who
currently receive tobacco industry funding to sponsor events and elect to
replace that funding, provided that the event, team, or entry is otherwise
unable to replace its tobacco industry sponsorship during those given
years. Funds used for this purpose shall promote a Quit Tobacco Use theme.
After a ten year period, no additional funds shall be used for this purpose
and the funds previously allocated to this purpose shall be used as
follows: 50% to supplement funding of the multimedia campaigns in paragraph
(1) of this subsection; 25% to supplement the funding of the enforcement
provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection; and 25% to supplement the
funding of community action programs in paragraph (3) of this subsection.
(B) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAMS BY THE SECRETARY - The
Secretary shall establish programs to accomplish the following purposes---
(1) the reduction of tobacco product usage, both by seeking to discourage
the initiation of tobacco use by persons under the age of 18 and by
encouraging current tobacco users to quit through media-based and non-media
based education, prevention and cessation campaigns. The Secretary may make
grants to state health departments to assist in carrying out the purposes
of this provision. (2) the research into and development and public
dissemination of technologies and methods to reduce the risk of dependence
and injury from tobacco product usage and exposure;
(3) the identification, testing and evaluation of the health effects of
both tobacco and non-tobacco constituents of tobacco products;
(4) the promulgation of such other rules and regulations as are necessary
and proper to carry out the provisions of this Act, as well as the
development of such other programs as the Secretary determines are
consistent with the goals of the Act.
(C) Public Education Campaign - $500,000,000 shall be spent annually in
such multi-media campaigns designed to discourage and de-glamorize the use
to tobacco products. To carry out such efforts, an independent non-profit
organization with a Board made up of prestigious individuals and the
leaders of the major public health organizations shall be created which
shall contract or make grants to non-profit private entities who are
unaffiliated with tobacco manufacturers or tobacco importers, who have a
demonstrated record of working effectively to reduce tobacco product use
and expertise in multi-media communications campaigns. The independent body
shall be authorized to contract with state health departments, where
appropriate, to run campaigns for their states and communities. In creating
the program the Secretary or independent body shall also take into account
the needs of particular populations. The goal shall be the reduction of
tobacco product usage, both by seeking to discourage the initiation of
tobacco use by persons under the age of 18 and by encouraging current
tobacco users to quit.
(D) Tobacco Use Cessation - For the first 4 years, $1 billion, and
thereafter, $1.5 billion of the total amount paid by the tobacco industry
shall be paid into a Trust Fund to be used to assist individuals who want
to quit using tobacco to do so. Within 12 months the Secretary shall
promulgate regulations to govern (1) the establishment of criteria for and
a procedure for the approval of cessation programs and devices for which
payment may be made under the program, (2) the eligibility requirements for
individuals seeking to use moneys from the trust to fund the tobacco
cessation efforts, and (3) the procedures to govern the tobacco cessation
program.
The goal of the tobacco cessation program shall to enable the most tobacco
users possible to receive assistance in their effort to quit using tobacco
by providing financial assistance and identifying the programs, techniques,
and devices that have been shown to be safe and effective. Benefits to
individuals should not be limited to a single effort, but should be
tailored to the needs of individual smokers according to standards
established by the Secretary using the best available scientific
guidelines.
(E) Public Health Trust Fund Presidential Commission - A Presidential
commission will be appointed to include representatives of the public
health community, Attorneys General, Castano attorneys and others to
determine the specific tobacco-related medical research for which the $25
Billion Public Health Trust Fund will be used.
TITLE VIII: Civil Liability
The following provisions would govern actions for civil liability related
to tobacco and health.
A. General
1. Present Attorney General actions (or similar actions brought by or on
behalf of any governmental entity), parens patriae and class actions are
legislatively settled. No future prosecution of such actions. All
"addiction"/dependence claims are settled and all other personal injury
claims are reserved. As to signatory States, pending Congressional
enactment, no stay applications will be made in pending actions, based upon
the fact of this resolution, without mutual consent of the parties.
2. Third-party payor (and similar) actions pending as of 619197 are not
settled, but governed by provisions regarding past conduct set forth in
Section B below.
B. Provisions as to Civil Liability for Past Conduct
The following provisions apply to suits for relief arising from past
conduct - i.e., suits by persons claiming injury or damage caused by
conduct taking place prior to the effective date of the Act.
1. All punitive damages claims resolved as part of overall settlement. No
punitive damages in individual tort actions.
2. Individual trials only: i.e., no class actions, joinder, aggregations,
consolidations, extrapolations or other devices to resolve cases other than
on the basis of individual trials, without defendant's consent.
Action removable by defendant to federal court upon receipt of application
to, or order of, state court providing for trial or other procedure in
violation of this provision.
3. Except as expressly provided in the Act, FCLAA and applicable case law
unchanged by the Act.
4. Provided that the five negotiating companies enter into the Protocol:
Protocol manufacturers to enter into joint sharing agreement for civil
liability. Protocol manufacturers not jointly and severally liable for
liability of non-Protocol manufacturers. Trials involving both protocol and
non-Protocol manufacturers to be severed.
5. Permissible parties:
Plaintiffs -
a. Claims of individuals, or claims derivative of such claims, must be
brought either by person claiming injury or heirs.
b. Third-party payor (and similar) claims not based on subrogation that
were pending as of 619197.
c. Third-party payor (and similar) claims based on subrogation of
individual claims; no extrapolations, etc.
Defendants
a. maintained only against companies, their assigns, any future fraudulent
transferee, and/or entity for suit designated to survive defunct
manufacturer. Actions may be manufacturing successors and
b. Manufacturers of agents agencies and liable vicariously for acts
(including advertising attorneys).
6. No removal except under paragraph 2 above.
7. The development of "reduced risk" tobacco products after the effective
date of the Act is neither admissible nor discoverable.
8. Statute of limitations: for all actions, individual state laws governing
time periods from injury, discovery, notice or contamination/violation.
9. Annual aggregate cap for judgments/settlements: 33% of annual industry
base payment (including any reductions for volume decline). If aggregate
judgments/settlements for a year exceed annual aggregate cap, excess does
not have to be paid that year and rolls over.
Any judgments/settlements run against defendant? but give rise to
80-cent-on-the-dollar credit against annual payment in year paid. Suitable
provision for settlement consultation and permission. Manufacturers control
insurance claims, and any insurance recovery obtained by manufacturers (net
of cost) on account of judgment and/or settlement covered by above sharing
arrangement allocated 80% to annual payments. Manufacturers retain any
insurance proceeds on account of defense costs.
Provision with respect to individual judgments above $1 million: amount in
excess of $1 million not paid that year unless every other
judgment/settlement can be satisfied within the annual aggregate cap.
Excess rolls forward without interest and is paid at the rate of $1 million
per year, until the first year that the annual aggregate cap is not
exceeded (at which time the remainder is paid in full). For purposes of
this provision, a third-party payor (or similar) action not based on
subrogation is treated as having been brought by a single plaintiff and is
subject to the $1 million rollover on that basis.
10. In the event that the annual aggregate cap is not reached in any year,
a Commission appointed by the President will determine the appropriate
allocation of the amount representing the unused amount of the credit. The
Commission will be entitled to consider, among public health, governmental
entities, and other uses of the funds, applications for compensation from
persons, including nonsubrogation claims of third party payors, not
otherwise entitled to compensation under the Act.
11. Defense costs paid by manufacturers.
C. Provisions as to Civil Liability for Future Conduct
The following provisions apply to suits for relief arising from future
conduct - i.e., suits claiming injury or damage caused by conduct taking
place after the effective date of the Act.
1. Paragraphs 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10 and 11 in Section B apply.
2. No third-party payor (or similar) claims not based on subrogation.
TITLE IX: Board Approval
The terms of this resolution are subject to approval by the Boards of
Directors of the participating tobacco companies.
Appendix I - Warnings in Advertisements
The space in press and poster advertisements for tobacco products that is
to be devoted to the warning and, where relevant, the "tar," nicotine and
any other constituent yield statements will be 20% of the area of the
advertisement. The size of the printing of the warning and the yield
statements shall be pro rata to the following examples:
a) Whole page broadsheet newspaper - 45 point type
b) Half page broadsheet newspaper - 39 point type
c) Whole page tabloid newspaper - 39 point type
d) Half page tabloid newspaper - 27 point type
e) DPS magazine - 31.5 point type
f) Whole page magazine - 31.5 point type
g) 28 cm X 3 columns - 22.5 point type
h) 20 cm X 2 columns - 15 point type
FDA may revise the required type sizes within the 20% requirement.
Appendix II - Retail Tobacco Product Seller Penalties
1. The sale of tobacco products to consumers by an unlicensed seller shall
be a criminal violation, and be subject to minimum penalty of $1,000, or
imprisonment, for 6 months, or both, if an individual, or in the case of a
corporation, by a maximum penalty of $50,000. Any State or local
jurisdiction may provide by statute or code more severe penalties.
2. In addition to any criminal penalties which may be imposed under any
applicable state or local law, a tobacco product licensee may be subjected
to civil sanctions, including penalties, or license suspension or
revocation (on a site-by-site basis), or a combination thereof, for any
violation of the provisions of the State licensing laws regarding sales to
minors. Such sanction shall not exceed the following:
(a) For the first offense within any two year period, $500 or a 3 day
license suspension or both.
(b) For the second offense within any two year period, $1,000 or a 7 day
license suspension or both.
(c) For the third offense within any two year period, $2,000 or a 30 day
license suspension or both.
(d) For the fourth offense within any two year period, $5,000 or a 6 month
license suspension or both.
(e) For the fifth offense within any two year period, $10,000 or 1 year
license suspension or both.
(f) For the sixth and any subsequent offenses within any two year period,
$25,000 or a revocation of license with no possibility of reinstatement for
a period of three years.
(g) Permanent license revocation is mandatory for the tenth offense within
any two year period.
Each state must enact a statutory or regulatory enforcement scheme that
provides substantially similar penalties to the minimum federal standards
for a retail licensing program.
[Source/Precedent: Washington State Alcohol Licensing Act]
Appendix III - Application to Indian Tribes
A. Application Of Act
1. The provisions of the FDCA, the regulations of the FDA, and the Act
relating to the manufacture, distribution and sale of tobacco products
shall apply on Indian lands as defined in 18 U.S.C §1151 and on any other
trust lands subject to the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe. To the extent
that an Indian tribe engages in the manufacture, distribution or sale of
tobacco products, the provisions of this Act shall apply to such tribe.
2. Any federal tax or fee imposed on the manufacture, distribution or sale
of tobacco products shall be paid by any Indian tribe engaged in such
activities, or by persons engaged in such activities on such Indian lands,
to the same extent such tax or fee applies to other persons under the law.
B. Tribal Programs And Authority
1.For the purposes of the provisions of this Act, FDA is authorized to
treat any federally-recognized Indian tribe as a state, and is authorized
to provide any such tribe grant and contract assistance to carry out the
licensing and enforcement functions provided by this section.
2. Such treatment shall be authorized only if:
(a) the Indian tribe has a governing body carrying out substantial
governmental powers and duties;
(b) the functions to be exercised by the Indian tribe under this section
pertain to activities on trust lands within the jurisdiction of the tribe;
and
(c) the Indian tribe is reasonably expected to be capable of carrying out
the functions required under this Act.
[Source/precedent: Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. §7601(d)]
3. FDA regulations which establish a retail licensing program shall apply
on Indian trust lands, and each tribe's program shall be no less strict
than the program of the State in which the tribe is located.
4. If FDA determines that an Indian tribe does not qualify for treatment as
a state, FDA will directly administer the retailer licensing program, or
may delegate such authority to the state.
C. Tobacco Compensation And Public Health Grants
1. A portion of the settlement funds to which a state is otherwise entitled
shall be paid to HHS for distribution to the Indian tribes which have been
certified by FDA for treatment as states. The funds to be paid for such
purposes on behalf of Indian tribes shall be determined by the proportion
of registered tribal members resident on the reservation to the total
population of the state in which the tribe is located. The funds to be
distributed to Indian tribes shall be used for the same purposes as those
funds are to be used by the states and be subject to the same compliance
requirements for retail sales to minors as are the states under the Act.
2. The Department of Health and Human Services will annually pay to the
governing body of each Indian tribe its share of the funds for use under an
FDA-approved plan after annual certification by FDA, under the same
standards that apply to the States, that the Indian tribe is in compliance
with the requirements of the Act and any applicable regulations.
3. If HHS does not distribute all, or a portion, of an Indian tribe's share
of the funds in any given year because the tribe has not qualified under
the terms of this section or has not met the compliance requirements for
retail sales to minors, those funds will be distributed to other qualified
tribes in the same state for the same purposes and on the same proportional
basis, less the non-qualified tribe's population, as other settlement funds
are to be distributed to the tribes.
D. Obligations of Tobacco Manufacturers
1. Tobacco manufacturers shall not engage in any activity on Indian lands
subject to this Act which activity the manufacturers may not otherwise do
within a State.
2. Tobacco manufacturers also agree not to sell tobacco products for
manufacture, distribution, or sale to an Indian tribe, or to a
manufacturer, distributor, or retail seller subject to the jurisdiction of
an Indian tribe, except under the same terms and conditions as the
tobacco manufacturers impose under other manufacturers, distributors and
retail sellers under the Act, or any applicable regulations.
Appendix IV - Industry Associations
Within 90 days of the effective date of the Act, the tobacco product
manufacturers shall disband and dissolve the Council for Tobacco Research,
U.S.A. and the Tobacco Institute. In addition, with respect to any new
trade associations:
A. Tobacco product manufacturers may form or participate in any new tobacco
industry trade association. Any such new trade association shall have an
independent board of directors, in accordance with the following
requirements. For at least 10 years after the formation of the new
association, a minimum of 20 percent of the directors, but at least one
director, shall be other than a current or former director, officer or
employee of any association member or affiliated company. No other director
of a new trade association may be, at the same time, a director of any
association member or affiliated company. The officers shall be appointed
by the board and shall be employees of the association, and during their
term shall not be employed by any association member or affiliated company.
Legal counsel for any such association shall be independent and not serve
as legal counsel to any association member or affiliated company while
counsel to the association.
B. Any new tobacco product manufacturers' trade association shall adopt
by-laws governing the association's procedures and the activities of its
members, board, employees, agents and other representatives. The by-laws
shall include, among other things, provisions that:
(1) members who are competitors in the tobacco industry shall not meet on
the association's business except under sponsorship of the association;
(2) every board of directors meeting, board sub-committee meeting, general
association or committee meeting, and any other association sponsored
meeting, shall proceed under and strictly adhere to an agenda, approved by
legal counsel and circulated in advance; and
(3) minutes describing the substance of the meetings shall be prepared for
all such meetings, and shall be maintained by the association for a period
of 5 years.
C. Moreover, under the new regime:
1. The structure, by-laws, and activities of tobacco industry trade
associations shall be subject to continuing oversight by the U.S.
Department of Justice and by state antitrust authorities. For a period of
10 years from the creation of a new trade association, such authorities
may, without limitation on whatever other rights to access they may be
permitted, upon reasonable prior notice:
(a) have access during regular office hours to inspect and copy all books,
records, meeting agenda and minutes, and other association documents; and
(b) interview the association's directors, officers and employees, who may
have counsel present.
The inspection and discovery rights provided in (a) and (b) above shall be
exercised through a multi-state States' Attorneys General oversight
committee. Any documents and information provided to any state pursuant to
(a) and (b) above shall be kept confidential by and among the states and
shall be utilized only for governmental purposes of enforcing the Act and
ancillary documents.
2. In order to achieve the goals of this Agreement and the Act relating to
tobacco use by children and adolescents, the tobacco product manufacturers
may, notwithstanding the provisions of the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, or
any other federal or state antitrust law, act unilaterally, or may jointly
confer, coordinate or act in concert, for this limited purpose.
Manufacturers must obtain prior approval from the Department of Justice of
any plan or process for taking action pursuant to this section; however, no
approval shall be required of specific actions taken in accordance with an
approved plan. Approval or non-approval of a plan shall not be grounds for
abatement of any surcharge to a manufacturer for failure to meet the
reductions in underage tobacco use contemplated in this resolution and the
Act.
Appendix V - "Look Back"
A summary of the "look-back" provision is as follows:
A. The Reduction Requirements.
1. The required reductions in underage tobacco use are measured against a
base percentage. For underage use of cigarettes, the base percentage is the
average weighted by relative population of such age groups in 1995 as
determined by the U.S. Census Bureau, of (a) the average of the percentages
of 12th graders (ages 16 and 17) from 1986 to 1996 who used cigarette
products on a daily basis; (b) the average of the percentages of 10th
graders (ages 14 and 15) from 1991 to 1996 who used cigarette products on a
daily basis; and (c) the average of the percentages of 8th graders (age 13)
from 1991 to 1996 who used cigarette products on a daily basis. The
percentages are those measured by the University of Michigan's National
High School Drug Use Survey "Monitoring the Future" or by such comparable
index using identical methodology as is chosen by FDA after notice and
hearing.
For underage use of smokeless tobacco products, the base percentage is the
average, weighted by relative population of such age groups in 1995 as
determined by the U.S. Census Bureau, of (a) the percentage of 12th graders
(ages 16 and 17) in 1996 who used smokeless tobacco products on a daily
basis; (b) the percentage of 10th graders (ages 14 and 15) in 1996 who used
smokeless products on a daily basis; and (c) the percentage of 8th graders
(age 13) in 1996 who used smokeless tobacco products on a daily basis.
These percentages are to be derived from the same source as are the
percentages with respect to use of cigarette products.
2. After the fifth year after enactment of the Act and annually thereafter,
the FDA will calculate the incidence of daily use of tobacco products by
those under 18 years of age as follows:
For cigarette product use, the FDA will calculate the average, weighted by
relative population of such age groups in 1995 as determined by the U.S.
Bureau of Census, of the percentages of 12th graders (ages 16 and 17), 10th
graders (ages 14 and 15) and 8th graders (age 13) who used cigarette
products on a daily basis during the preceding year. The percentages used
in this calculation are to be those measured (a) by the University of
Michigan Survey; or (b) by such comparable index using identical
methodology as is chosen by the FDA after notice and hearing. If the
methodology of the University of Michigan Survey is hereafter changed in a
material manner from that employed in 1986-96 (including by changing the
states or regions on which that Survey is based), the FDA shall use the
percentages measured by an index chosen by it after notice and hearing
having a methodology identical to that employed by the University of
Michigan Survey in 1986-96.
For smokeless tobacco product use, the FDA will calculate the average,
weighted by relative population of such age groups in 1995 as determined by
the U.S. Bureau of Census, of the percentages of 8th (age 13), 10th (ages
14 and 15) and 12th graders (ages 16 and 17) who used smokeless tobacco
products on a daily basis during the preceding year. This calculation is to
be made using the same methodology as with respect to cigarette product
use.
Any data underlying the University of Michigan Survey shall be available by
request from FDA.
3. The reduction requirements (expressed as reduction from the base
percentage) for cigarette products are as follows:
Year After Enactment Reduction Requirement
years 5-6 30% reduction
years 7-9 50% reduction
year 10 (and 60% reduction thereafter)
The reduction requirements (expressed as reduction from the base
percentage) for smokeless tobacco products are as follows:
Year After Enactment Reduction Requirement
years 5-6 25% reduction
years 7-9 35% reduction
year 10 (and thereafter) 45% reduction
B. The Surcharge
where the FDA's calculation (per the procedure set forth above) shows that
the reduction requirements with respect to underage use of cigarette
products were not met in the preceding year, the FDA will impose a
surcharge on the manufacturers of cigarette products. Where the FDA's
assessment shows that the Reduction Requirements with respect to underage
use of smokeless tobacco products were not met in the preceding year, the
FDA will impose a surcharge on the manufacturers of smokeless tobacco
products.
1. The surcharge with respect to the cigarette industry will be calculated
as follows:
(a) The FDA will the determine the percentage point difference between:
(i) the required percentage reduction applicable to a given year, and
(ii) the percentage by which the percent incidence of underage use of
cigarette products for that year is less than the base incidence
percentage.
(In the event that the FDA's calculation of the percent incidence of
underage use of cigarette products for that year is greater than the base
incidence percentage, the number of percentage points used will be (i) the
required percentage reduction for that year plus (ii) the percentage by
which the actual percent incidence for that year is greater than the base
incidence percentage.)
(b) The surcharge will be $80 million for each percentage point derived per
the above procedure. This amount reflects an approximation of the present
value of the profit the cigarette industry would earn over the life of
underage smokers in excess of the required reduction (at current levels of
population and profit). This calculation will be subject to the following:
(1) the $80 million will be adjusted proportionately for percentage
increases or decreases compared with 1995 in the population of persons
resident in the United States aged 13-17, inclusive.
(2) the $60 million will be adjusted proportionately for percentage
increases or decreases compared with 1996 in the average profit per unit
(measured in cents and weighted by annual sales) earned by the cigarette
industry. (The average profit: per unit in 1996 will be derived from the
industry's operating profit as reported to the SEC; and the average profit
per unit for the year in which the surcharge is being determined will be
calculated and certified to the FDA by a major, nationally recognized
accounting firm having no existing connection to the tobacco industry using
the same methodology as employed in deriving the average profit per unit
for 1996.)
(3) the surcharge will be reduced to prevent double counting of persons
whose smoking had already resulted in the imposition of a surcharge in
previous years (to the extent that there were not underage smokers of
comparable age in those previous years on whom a surcharge was not paid
because of the cap set forth in paragraph (d) below).
(4) the surcharge may not exceed $2 billion in any year (as adjusted for
inflation).
2. The surcharge with respect to the smokeless tobacco industry will be
derived through a comparable procedure based upon a base per-percentage
point amount and a cap specific to that industry.
3. The surcharge payable by cigarette manufacturers will be the joint and
several obligation of those manufacturers, allocated by actual market
share. The surcharge payable by smokeless tobacco product manufacturers
will be the joint and several obligation of those manufacturers, as
allocated in the same manner. Within each such respective product market,
the FDA will make such allocations according to each manufacturer's
relative market volume in the United States domestic cigarette or smokeless
tobacco markets in the year for which the surcharge is being assessed,
based on actual federal excise tax payments.
4. The surcharge for a given year, if any, will be assessed by the FDA by
May I of the subsequent calendar year. Surcharge payments will be paid on
or before July 1 of the year in which they are assessed by the FDA. The FDA
may establish, by regulation, interest at a rate up.
5. After payment of its share of the surcharge, a tobacco product
manufacturer may seek return of up to 75% of that payment through the
abatement procedures described below.
C. Use of the Surcharge
The Surcharge funds would be used in an manner designed to speed the
reduction of the levels of underage tobacco use.
Upon final completion and review of any abatement petition, the FDA would
transfer as grants to state and local government public health agencies,
without further appropriation, 90% of all monies paid as Surcharge amounts.
As a condition of such transfers, the recipients of the transferred funds
would be required to spend them on additional efforts by state and local
government agencies, or by contract between such agencies and private
entities, to further reduce the use of tobacco products by children and
adolescents.
The FDA may retain up to 10 percent of such Surcharge amounts for
Administrative Costs - the administration of the Surcharge provisions of
the Act and related proceedings, and for other administrative requirements
imposed on the FDA by the Act.
If 10 percent of the Surcharge amounts exceeds the Administrative Costs,
the FDA may (1) transfer any portion of the excess to other federal
agencies, or to state and local government agencies, to meet the objective
of reduction of youth tobacco usage, or (2) may expend such amounts
directly to speed the reduction of underage tobacco use.
D. Abatement Procedures
Upon payment of its allocable share of any Surcharge, a tobacco product
manufacturer may petition the FDA for an abatement of the surcharge, and
shall give timely written notice of such petition to the attorneys general
of the several states.
1. The FDA shall conduct a hearing on an abatement petition pursuant to the
procedures set forth in sections 554, 556 and 557 of Title 5 of the United
States Code.
2. The attorneys general of the several states shall be entitled to be
heard and to participate in such a hearing.
3. The burden shall be on the manufacturer to prove, by a preponderance of
the evidence, that the manufacturer should be granted an abatement.
4. The FDA's decision on whether to grant an abatement, and the amount
thereof, if any, shall be based on whether:
(a) The manufacturer has acted in good faith and in full compliance with
the Act, and any FDA rules or regulations promulgated thereunder, and all
applicable federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations;
(b) In addition to full compliance as set forth in (a) above, the
manufacturer has pursued all reasonably available measures to attain the
required reductions;
(c) There is evidence of any action, direct or indirect, taken by the
manufacturer to undermine the achievement of the required reductions or
other terms and objectives of the Act; and
(d) Any other relevant evidence.
5. Upon a finding by the FDA that the manufacturer meets the grounds for an
abatement under the standards set forth above, it shall order an abatement
of up to 75% of the Surcharge with interest at the average United States
52-Week Treasury Bill rate for the period between payment and abatement of
the surcharge. The FDA may consider all relevant evidence in determining
what percentage to order abated.
6. Any manufacturer or state attorney general aggrieved by an abatement
petition decision of the FDA may seek judicial review thereof within 30
days in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
Circuit. Unless otherwise specified in this Act, judicial review under this
section shall be governed by sections 701-706 of Title S of the United
States Code.
7. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tobacco product manufacturer may
neither file an abatement petition or seek judicial review of a decision
denying an abatement if it has failed to pay the surcharge in a timely
fashion.
8. No stay or other injunctive relief enjoining imposition and collection
of the surcharge amounts pending appeal or otherwise may be granted by the
FDA or any court.
[Source/precedent: 5 U.S.C. Sections 554, 556-57, 701-06]
Appendix VI: State Enforcement Incentives
The details of the state enforcement incentives are as follows:
In addition to FDA and other federal agency, state attorney general and
'other existing state and local law enforcement authority under current
law, the proposed Act requires the following:
A. States must have in effect a "no sales to minors" law providing that it
is unlawful for any manufacturer, retailer or distributor of tobacco
products to sell or distribute any such products to any persons under the
age of 18. (42 U.S.C. §300X-26(a)(1); 45 C.F.R. §96.130(b)). This state
statutory requirement remains in addition to the federal regulatory
prohibitions on retail sales of tobacco products to children and
adolescents (also defined as persons under the age of 18) adopted by the
FDA in its August 28, 1996 Final Rule (to be codified at 21 C.F.R. §897.14
et sea.);
B. States must conduct random, unannounced inspections at least monthly,
and in communities geographically and statistically representative of the
entire state and its youth population to ensure compliance with the "no
sales to minors" law, and implement "any other action which the state
believes are necessary to enforce the law." (goes further than 45 C.F.R.
§96.130(c), 96.1 30(d)(1 ),(d)(2);
C. States must conduct at least 250 random, unannounced inspections of
retailer compliance with the "no sales to minors" law per year for each I
million of resident population, as determined by the most recent decennial
census. In the case of tribes, tribes must conduct no fewer than 25 such
inspections per location of point of sale to consumers per year, conducted
throughout the year.
Annual State Reporting Requirements
As a condition to receiving any moneys due and payable pursuant to the Act,
States must annually submit a report to the FDA and the States must make
their reports public (except as provided in (C) below) within the state.
Such state reports must include at least the following:
A. A detailed description of enforcement activities undertaken by the state
and its political subdivisions during the preceding federal fiscal year;
B. A detailed description of the state's progress in reducing the
availability of tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18,
including the detailed statistical results of the mandated compliance
checks;
C. A detailed description of the methods used in the compliance checks, and
in identifying outlets which were tested, with the FDA providing the state
appropriate confidentiality safeguards for information provided to the
agency regarding the timing and investigative techniques of state
compliance checks that depend for their continued efficacy upon such
confidentiality;
D. A detailed description of strategies the state intends to utilize in the
current and succeeding years to make further progress on reducing the
availability of tobacco products to children and adolescents; and
E. The identity of the "single state agency" responsible for fulfilling the
Synar Amendment and the Act's requirements, including the coordination and
report of state efforts to reduce youth access to tobacco products sold or
offered for sale in the state.
(strengthens and extends beyond 45 C.F.R. §96.130(e) by adding greater detail to the requirements and transferring reporting obligation of states to FDA from HHS)
Required Attainment Goals for State Enforcement
The FDA is required to make an annual determination, prior to allocating
any moneys allocated to the states under the proposed Act for the purposes
of defraying public health care program expenditures (but not including or
conditioning moneys made available under the Act for the payment of private
claims), as to whether each state has "pursued all reasonably available
measures to enforce" the prohibition on sales of tobacco products to
children and adolescents.
In addition to the criteria set forth in 45 C.F.R. §96.130, the proposed
Act will require the FDA to find presumptively that the state has not
"pursued all reasonably available measures to enforce" the "no sales to
minors law" unless the state has achieved, in the following years, the
following compliance rate results for the retail compliance checks required
by the Act:
Federal Fiscal Year Retail Compliance Check
Under Review Performance Target 5th Year after year of 75% enactment of Act
7th Year after year of 85% enactment of Act 10th Year after year of 90%
enactment of Act and annually thereafter
These compliance percentages are expressed as the percentage of the random,
unannounced compliance checks conducted pursuant to the Act for which the
retailer refused sale of tobacco products to the potential underage
purchaser. (note: these performance targets are far more stringent on the
states than those in the Synar Amendment, which sets as a "final goal" a
target of no less than 80% (i.e., an inspection failure rate of no more
than 20%) within "several years. See 45 C.F.R. §96.130. In addition, the
proposed Act's targets are mandatory, uniform national minimum performance
requirements, while the Synar Amendment calls for HHS simply to "negotiate"
an "interim performance target" beginning in 1998).
Reduction of Money Allocated to State Not
Meeting Performance Targets
If a state does not meet the Act's "no sales to minors" performance targets
for retail compliance checks, then the FDA may refuse to pay to that
noncomplying state certain moneys otherwise payable to that state under the
proposed Act. No state shall be held responsible for sales to underage
consumers outside that state's jurisdiction. Specifically, the FDA may
withhold from such state an amount equal to 1% of moneys otherwise payable
to that state under the Act to defray health care expenditures of public
programs of medical assistance for each percentage point by which the
state's performance on its mandatory compliance checks fails to meet the
required performance targets for that year. In no event may the FDA
withhold more than 20% of the money otherwise allocable to such state under
the Act for such purposes.
The FDA shall reallot any Withhold Amounts, once final, to states that
exceed the Act's Performance Targets, in amounts and by an allocation
formula determined by the agency to reward those states with the best
record of reducing youth access to tobacco products.
AppeaI Following Withhold
Upon notice from the FDA of a withhold of moneys (the 'Withhold Amount")
allocable to the state under the Act, a state subject to such notice of
withhold may petition the agency for a release and disbursement of the
Withhold Amount, and shall give timely written notice of such petition to
the attorney general for that state and to all tobacco product
manufacturers. The agency shall hold, and invest in interest bearing
securities of the United States government or its agencies, any Withhold
Amounts subject to a pending petition for release and disbursement or
related appeal until final disposition of such petition and appeal.
In the case of petition by a state for a release and disbursement of a
Withhold Amount, the agency's decision on whether to grant such a petition,
and the amount thereby released and disbursed, if any, shall be based on
whether:
(1) the state has acted in good faith and in full compliance with the Act,
and any agency rules or regulations promulgated thereunder;
(2) the state has pursued all reasonably available measures to attain the
Retail Compliance Check Performance Targets and Youth Smoking Reduction
Goals of the Act;
(3) there is evidence of any action, direct or indirect, taken by the state
to undermine the achievement of the Retail Compliance Check Performance
Targets and Youth Smoking Reduction Goals or other terms and objectives of
the Act; and
(4) any other relevant evidence.
The burden shall be on the state to prove, by a preponderance of the
evidence, that the state should be granted a release and disbursement of
the Withhold Amount or any portion thereof. Prior to decision, the agency
shall hold a hearing on the petition, with notice and opportunity to be
heard given to the attorney general of that state and to all domestic
tobacco product manufacturers.
Upon a finding by the agency that the state meets the grounds, as set forth
above, and the burden of proof for a release and disbursement of a Withhold
Amount, then it shall order a release and disbursement of up to 75% of the
Withhold Amount appealed, and it shall so release and disburse to the state
that amount, with interest at the average United States 52-Week Treasury
Bill rate for the period between notice and release of such Withhold
Amount. The agency may consider all relevant evidence in determining that
percentage of the Withhold Amount to order released and disbursed.
Any manufacturer or state attorney general aggrieved by a Withhold Amount
decision of the agency may seek judicial review thereof within 30 days in
the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Unless otherwise specified in this Act, judicial review under this Section
shall be governed by Sections 701-706 of Title 5 of the United States Code.
No stay or other injunctive relief enjoining imposition of the withhold
pending appeal or otherwise may be granted by the FDA or any court.
No appeal may be taken from an agency decision denying a petition to
release and disburse a Withhold Amount unless filed within 30 days
following notice of such decision. No stay or other injunctive relief,
enjoining imposition of the withhold pending appeal or otherwise, may be
granted, by any court or administrative agency. Appeals filed hereunder
shall be made to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals and, on
appeal, shall be governed by the procedural and evidentiary provisions of
the Administrative Procedures Act, unless otherwise specified in this Act.
The judgment of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on appeal shall
be final.
Appendix VII - Restrictions on Point of Sale Advertising
The details with respect to point of sale advertising restrictions are as
follows:
1. There shall be no Point of Sale Advertising of tobacco products,
excluding adults-only stores and tobacco outlets, except as provided
herein:
A. Each manufacturer of tobacco products may have not more than two
separate point of sale advertisements in or at each location at which
tobacco products are offered for sale, except any manufacturer with 25
percent of market share may have one additional point of sale
advertisement. A retailer may have one sign for its own or its wholesaler's
contracted house retailer or private label brand.
No supplier of tobacco products may enter into any arrangement with a
retailer that limits the retailer's ability to display any form of
advertising or promotional material originating with another supplier and
permitted by law to be displayed at retail.
B. Point of Sale advertisements permitted herein each shall be of a display
area not larger than 576 square inches (either individually or in the
aggregate) and shall consist of black letters on white background or
recognized typographical marks. Point of Sale advertisements shall not be
attached to nor located within two feet of any fixture on which candy is
displayed for sale. Display fixtures are permitted signs consisting of
brand name and price, not larger than 2 inches in height.
2. Except as provided herein, Point of Sale Advertising shall mean all
printed or graphical materials bearing the brand name (alone or in
conjunction with any other word), logo, symbol, motto, selling message, or
any other indicia of product identification identical or similar to, or
identifiable with, those used for any brand of cigarettes or smokeless
tobacco, which, when used for its intended purpose, can reasonably be
anticipated to be seen by customers at a location at which tobacco products
are offered for sale.
3. Audio and video formats otherwise permitted under the FDA Rule may be
distributed to adult consumers at point of sale but may not be played or
shown at point of sale (i.e., no "static video displays").
The legislation would ensure that previously non-public or confidential
documents from the files of the tobacco industry including the results of
internal health research - are disclosed to the federal government, the
States, public and private litigants, health officials and the public. The
legislation also would provide for binding, streamlined and accelerated
judicial determinations with nationwide effect in the event that disputes
remain over the legitimacy of claims of privileges or protections1
including attorney-client privilege and work product and trade secret
protections.
1.Under the Act, the manufacturers and CTR and TI would establish a
national tobacco document depository that is open to the public and located
in the Washington, DC area. This depository would serve as a resource for
litigants, public health groups, and anyone else with an interest in the
tobacco industry's corporate records on the subjects of smoking and health,
addiction or nicotine dependency, safer or less hazardous cigarettes and
underage tobacco use and marketing. Specifically:
The depository would include all of the documents produced to the other
side by the manufacturers, CTR and TI in the Attorneys General actions
(including all documents selected by plaintiffs from the Guilford, U.K.
repository), Philip Morris Companies Inc.'s defamation action against
Capital Cities/ABC News, the FTC's investigation concerning Joe Camel and
underage marketing, the Haines and Cipollone actions and the Butler action
in Mississippi.
In the event there are additional existing documents discussing or
referring to health research, addiction or dependency, safer/less hazardous
cigarettes, studies of the smoking habits of minors and the relationship
between advertising or promotion and youth smoking that the manufacturers
or trade associations have not yet completed producing as agreed or
required in the above actions, such additional documents shall be placed in
the depository commencing within 90 days of the effective date of the Act,
and concluding as soon as practicable thereafter.
Except for privileged and trade secret materials (which shall be exempt
from disclosure into the depository), all documents placed in the
depository shall be produced without any confidentiality designations of
any kind.
Along with these document collections, the manufacturers and trade
associations shall place into the depository all indices (as defined by the
court's order in the Minnesota Attorney General action) of documents
relating to smoking and health, including all indices identified by the
manufacturers in the Washington, Texas and Minnesota Attorney General
actions. Any computerized indices shall be produced in both a computerized
and hard-copy form. (If reductions of any such indices are required in
order to protect any privileged or trade secret information, such
reductions shall be subject to the procedures set forth below for
adjudicating any disputes over claims of privilege and trade secrecy.)
All documents placed into the depository shall be deemed produced for
purposes of any litigation in the United States. The court in each
underlying action shall retain the discretion to determine the
admissibility on a case-by-case basis of any such produced document.
The tobacco industry shall bear the expense of maintaining the depository.
2. Immediately upon finalizing a resolution of these litigations with the
Attorneys General, without waiting for Congress to embody these requirement
in the proposed legislation, the manufacturers, CTR and TI shall: Commence
to conduct a good-faith, de novo, document-by-document review of all
documents previously withheld from production in tobacco litigation on
grounds of privilege. The purpose of this review shall be to identify
documents which the reviewer concludes are not privileged. All documents so
identified shall be placed in the depository as soon as practicable.
Prepare and place in the national depository as soon as practicable a
comprehensive new privilege log of all documents that the manufacturers,
CTR and TI, based on their de novo review, continue to deem to be
legitimately privileged against disclosure.
Itemize on this new privilege log all of the descriptive detail that the
court has required defendants to furnish document-by-document on their
privilege logs in the Minnesota Attorney General action, thereby ensuring
that there will be sufficient detail on the privilege logs to enable any
interested person to determine whether he or she wishes to challenge claims
of privilege or trade secrecy on any particular documents.
3. The Act also would establish a panel of three federal Article Ill
judges, appointed by the Judicial Conference, to hear and decide all
disputes over claims of privilege or trade secrets, except for those
disputes that already have been determined by other federal or state courts
at the time the Act is enacted or are pending in cases prior to the time
the Court has had an opportunity to begin to review privilege claims.
The three-judge panel shall decide all privilege or trade secrecy
challenges asserted by the federal government, the States, public and
private litigants, health officials and the public with respect to tobacco
industry documents.
The Act would vest exclusive federal jurisdiction for the three-judge panel
to decide any such disputes in accordance with the ABA/ALl Model Rules
and/or principles of federal law with respect to privilege and the Uniform
Trade Secrets Act with respect to trade secrecy. Any such adjudication
shall be reviewable only in the manner prescribed by 28 U.S.C. [Sec. 1
25-certiorari].
The panel's adjudications shall be binding upon all federal and state
courts in all litigation in the United States. The panel shall be
authorized to appoint Special Masters pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P.53, with
the cost to be borne by the tobacco industry.
Once the Act becomes effective and the three-judge panel is appointed, all
disputes that may arise concerning privilege claims by the manufacturers or
trade associations relating to smoking and health subjects must be resolved
through this process, except for disputes in pending cases that can be
resolved prior to the time the Court has had an opportunity to begin to
renew privilege claims.
If a claim of privilege is not upheld, the three-judge panel shall consider
whether the claimant had a good faith factual and legal basis for an
assertion of privilege and, if the claimant did not, shall assess against
the claimant costs and attorneys' fees and may assess such additional costs
or sanctions as the panel may deem appropriate.
4. In order to expedite the process of judicial review and to ensure that
the federal government, the States, public and private litigants, health
officials and the public no longer need to be concerned that claims of
privilege and trade secrecy are being asserted improperly or without legal
basis, the legislation would create an accelerated process by which any
public or private person or entity, subject to a right of intervention by
any other interested person or entity, may challenge any claims of
privilege or trade secrecy before the three- judge panel. Under the Act, a
person or entity filing such an action to challenge to privilege or trade
secrecy will not need to make any prima facie showing of any kind as a
prerequisite to in camera review of the document or documents at issue.
5. The manufacturers would also be subject to certain continuing disclosure
obligations over and above the aforementioned provisions and whatever
further judicial discovery may be required in pending or future civil
actions. Specifically, for the first time ever, the manufacturers would be
required to disclose all original laboratory research relating to the
health or safety of tobacco products, including, without limitation, all
laboratory research relating to ways to make tobacco products less
hazardous to consumers.
Whenever such research is performed in the future, the manufacturers shall
disclose its results to the FDA.
In addition, all such research (except for legitimate trade secrets) shall
be produced to the national document depository described above. In
addition, the manufacturers and trade associations shall produce into the
depository on an ongoing basis any future studies of the smoking habits of
minors or documents discussing or referring to the relationship, if any,
between advertising and promotion and underage smoking.
No original laboratory research relating to the health or safety of tobacco
products shall be withheld from either the FDA or the depository on grounds
of attorney/client privilege or work product protection.
8. The tobacco manufacturers' and CTR's and Ti1s compliance with any of the
provisions of this Act shall not be deemed a waiver of any applicable
privilege or protection.
7. The Act will also incorporate reasonable and appropriate provisions to
protect against the destruction of documents bearing on matters of public
health or safety.
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