The Senate health committee said on 12 July it will take action next week on a bill that would let the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate cigarettes.

Committee chairman Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, scheduled the committee session for 18 July. His bill is backed by dozens of other senators and Altria Group’s Philip Morris USA.
The bill, which is opposed by smaller cigarette makers, would let the FDA restrict tobacco advertising; prevent the sale of cigarettes to minors; require stronger warning labels; bar misrepresentation of tobacco's dangers; and order removal of harmful ingredients from cigarettes. It would also set standards for ‘reduced-risk’ tobacco products, which could not be marketed as safer than regular cigarettes without FDA verification. A similar bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the FDA could not regulate without congressional action. The Senate voted in 2004 to give the FDA that power, but the effort died in the House.