Congresswoman Castor Introduces H.R. 1854
116th Congress Effort To Prevent FDA Regulation of Premium cigars
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Monday
, Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2019 ("HR 1854"), which calls for a premium cigar exemption from regulation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration ("FDA").
Glynn Loope, executive director of Cigar Rights of America ("CRA"), stated the following on the introduction of HR 1854, "Congresswoman Castor's bi-partisan coalition on this legislation will work to be a platform for communicating to the Trump Administration and congress that regulating premium cigars is a case study in bureaucratic overreach that goes beyond the Congressional intent of the Tobacco Control Act." Loope continued, "We look forward to briefing members from both sides of the aisle as to the intent of HR 1854 and as to why the existing regulatory overreach on premium cigars needs to be reformed, taking into account the studies and data presented following the most recent FDA public comment period, which closed July 25, 2018."
At its introduction, the bill has strong bi-partisan support with the following 30 original co-sponsors on the legislation - Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL), Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Rep. George Holding (R-NC), Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC), Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR), Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH), Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN), Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WA), and Bill Huizenga (R-MI).
To read more, click here.
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Take Action Now - Contact Your Members of Congress Today
Support Premium Cigar Exemption
Let your voice be heard today! Tell Congress that the FDA has
No Business in the Cigar Business
and to support a premium cigar exemption.
To sign and send a petition in support of a premium cigar exemption, please
click here.
Don't just sign the petition, spread the word. If you are a consumer, send the link to your friends.
Let's grow the numbers and make sure Congress hears from all of us.
For a directory of the United States House of Representatives, click here. For a directory of United States Senators, please click
here
.
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Oppose Beverly Hills, California
Tobacco Sales Ban
On February 12, 2019, during a City Council study session, former Mayor Julian A. Gold and then Vice Mayor John Mirisch, now current mayor, proposed the
possibility of banning all tobacco sales in Beverly Hills.
Please use the following draft template to communicate with the leaders of Beverly Hills to express your opposition to any across-the-board tobacco sales ban.
To read a recent article in
Cigar Aficionado
on the Beverly Hills tobacco ban, click
here
.
To contact Mayor Mirisch and members of the Beverly Hills City Council, click here.
DRAFT TEXT
I write to you today as a premium cigar patron to express my opposition to any possible proposal that seeks to implement an across-the-board sales ban on tobacco products in the City of Beverly Hills.
In the City of Beverly Hills there are specialty tobacco stores and premium cigar lounges that cater to an adult clientele. Any ban on the sale of tobacco products, would directly inflict irreparable economic harm on those businesses that sell premium handmade cigars.
Premium cigars are an artisan handmade all natural product, that do not carry the stigma of addiction, inhalation, mortality, and youth access associated with other tobacco products.
I respectfully ask that you consider the differences that exist with premium cigars before you formalize any proposal to ban tobacco sales in Beverly Hills.
Thank you for your time and attention to this request.
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Schwarzenegger plea to Beverly Hills: Spare Cigar Club from Tobacco Rules
Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a famed physical fitness buff - and prominent fan of expensive stogies - is appealing to the Beverly Hills City Council to exempt the tony
Grand Havana Room
from its proposed city-wide ban on tobacco sales.
In a letter to the City Council obtained by POLITICO, Schwarzenegger argues the private high-end cigar club is a "character-defining institution" that "has brought together men and women from diverse walks of life" over a good cigar for more than a quarter of a century.
Schwarzenegger made the unusually personal appeal to the council as Beverly Hills debates whether to become the first city in the nation to ban all tobacco sales. Newly sworn Mayor John Mirisch and Councilman Julian Gold, who just finished a term as the city's top elected official, floated the idea last month during a study session, according to
Fox 11.
To continue reading the article that appeared in Politico, click
here
.
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State Legislation - Take Action Now
State legislatures have been very active in the beginning of 2019 with the introduction of numerous bills that are both positive and negative for premium cigars.
CRA works daily to keep you informed of legislation that we need to either support or defeat over the course of the coming weeks and months.
on the CRA website to stay current and to take action by contacting members of your state legislature.
Below is a current list of legislation that we are focused on and working at the grassroots level to address. If you live in one of the states below, we encourage you to sign the petitions in either support or opposition to the legislation. We would also encourage you to reach out directly to your representatives and let your voice be heard.
States:
Connecticut
- HB 5139 - Would remove the prohibition and allow for the expansion of cigar bars in the state. To sign the petition, click here. (Support)
Florida
- SB 218 - Would prohibit smoking on public beaches in the state as well as creating a penalty structure for those individual caught violating the ban should it become law. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
Hawaii
- HB 331 & SB 222 - Calls for a $0.50 tax cap on premium cigars. To sign the petition, click here. (Support)
Iowa
- HF 364 - Calls for the elimination of the $0.50 tax cap on premium cigar and would increase the rate of taxation from in the rate of taxation from 50 percent to 67 percent of the wholesale cost. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
- SF 109 - Calls for the removal of the indoor smoking exemption on Iowa gaming floors. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
Maine
- LD 343 - Would promote business equity amongst tobacco specialty stores in the state of Maine. To sign the petition, click here. (Support)
- LD 1028 - Increases taxes on premium cigars. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
Minnesota
- HF 2679 - Would increase the rate of taxation on premium cigars by increasing the tax cap to $3.50. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
Nebraska
- LB 710 - Would increase the rate of taxation on premium cigars from 20 percent to 65 percent of the products purchase price. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
- LB 429 - Would modify Nebraska's current tax structure on premium cigars by instituting a $0.50 cent cap. To sign the petition, click here. (Support)
New Mexico
- HB 261 - Calls for an increase in the rate of taxation from 25 percent to 76 percent. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
North Dakota
- SB 2137 - Would amend North Dakota Century Code to create an exception for cigar bars. To sign the petition, click here. (Support)
Oregon
- HB 2158 & HB 2270 - calls for the removal of Oregon's tax cap. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
- HB 218 - Would almost triple the rate of taxation on premium cigars by increasing it to 53.3 percent. To sign the petition, click here. (Oppose)
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Upcoming Events
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What: Texas Cigar Festival
When: April 13, 2019
Where: Houston, Texas
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What: Smoklahoma
When: April 27, 2019
Where: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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What: 2019 CigarFest
When: May 3-4, 2019
Where: Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania
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What: Smokin in the Carolinas
When: June 8, 2019
Where: Burlington, North Carolina
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What: Little Smoke
When: June 10, 2019
Where: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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What: Brew City Cigar Festival
When: August 17, 2019
Where: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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What: Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival
When: August 24, 2019
Where: Broomfield, Colorado
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What: Kansas City Cigar Festival
When: September 7, 2019
Where: Kansas City, Missouri
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Saturday Media Lineup
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Kiss My Ash
Saturday, March 30, 2019
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Cigar Dave
Saturday,
March 30, 2019
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
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Cigar Authority
Saturday,
March 30, 2019
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Join or Renew Your CRA Membership
Join or renew today, for two years at a
special price, and receive a complimentary
subscription to Cigar Aficionado.
To join or renew now, please click
here
.
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As CRA membership grows across the nation, our impact at all levels follows suit. Join the fight today by becoming a member of
CRA
or renewing your membership
.
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Donate today, and be a part of history...the history of protecting premium cigars for generations to come.
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