A bipartisan group of senators wants the vaping industry to pay for more of the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of vaping products.
Driving the news: Six senators, led by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, will introduce a bill today to charge e-cigarette manufacturers higher user fees, which fund many of the FDA's regulatory activities. A corresponding bill led by Rep. Cheri Bustos will be introduced in the House soon.
Why it matters: The FDA's Center for Tobacco Products has spent a lot of time and money on the vaping industry, but the fees that fund that activity are more geared toward cigarette, cigar and smokeless tobacco manufacturers.
- The bill would up the tobacco industry's fees from $712 million to $812 million — the same increase the Trump administration's 2020 budget proposed. E-cigarette makers would have to pay fees based on their market share, or risk fines or even a ban.
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