McConnell & Kaine’s Tobacco Free Youth Act Clears First Senate Hurdle

A bill from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, has cleared its first hurdle in its goal of making 21-years-old the minimum age to purchase tobacco products and tobacco alternatives such as e-cigarettes on a nationwide level.

The bill, dubbed the Tobacco Free Youth Act, passed the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Wednesday. “I want to thank Chairman Alexander, Ranking Member Murray and all our colleagues on the committee for including our legislation in this package and advancing it,” McConnell said in a press release. “I look forward to continuing to work with them, with Senator Kaine, and with all of our colleagues as we work to get this important proposal signed into law.”

The bill has also gained sponsorship from Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia. The next step in its legislative journey has not been formally scheduled.

Featured image by Scrumshus (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.