WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today filed the ENND Act, their legislation to address the vaping crisis, as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY2020) appropriations bill. This comes as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which Senator Romney serves on, announced that they will hold a hearing next month to examine the response to lung illnesses and rising youth e-cigarette use.
“We are introducing our ENND Act as an amendment to the appropriations package being considered on the floor today because we simply cannot afford anymore delay in putting our nation’s young people at risk of nicotine addiction,” Romney said. “I urge my colleagues to join me in taking decisive action on this issue.”
“Flavors like ‘gummy bear,’ ‘scooby snacks,’ and ‘strawberries and cream’ are designed to hook children on nicotine and e-cigarettes,” Merkley said. “Unfortunately, these insidious marketing tactics are working—causing a new addiction crisis and massive health consequences for young people. This is an urgent problem that requires an urgent solution.”
Background:
- Senators Romney and Merkley introduced the Ending New Nicotine Dependencies (ENND) Act last month, which would regulate e-cigarette standards and protect public health by prohibiting non-tobacco flavors and ensuring that electronic nicotine delivery systems are tamper-proof.