[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 249 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 249

Stating the sense of Congress that substantial amounts of the proceeds 
   received by the United States under any congressionally approved 
 tobacco settlement should be allocated to the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 1998

    Mr. Evans (for himself, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Kennedy of 
 Massachusetts, Mr. Filner, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Mascara, Mr. Peterson, Mr. 
     Reyes, and Mr. Rodriguez) submitted the following concurrent 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Stating the sense of Congress that substantial amounts of the proceeds 
   received by the United States under any congressionally approved 
 tobacco settlement should be allocated to the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.

Whereas the United States has both directly and indirectly facilitated tobacco 
        use by members of the Armed Forces in that--

    (1) from the time of the Civil War until 1956, the Army was required by 
law ``to cause tobacco to be furnished to the enlisted men of the army at 
cost prices, exclusive of the cost of transportation, in such quantities as 
they may require, not exceeding sixteen ounces per month'' with the cost 
deducted from their pay;

    (2) the Air Force is still required by law to make tobacco available 
for sale to enlisted members;

    (3) cigarettes have been distributed free of charge to members of the 
Armed Forces as part of the food and sundries packets referred to as ``C-
rations'';

    (4) tobacco products have been and continue to be sold by military 
exchanges at substantially discounted rates, thus actively encouraging 
tobacco usage by military personnel, and as late as 1996 commissary tobacco 
prices were as much as 76 percent lower than commercial retail prices;

    (5) the military culture historically has recognized, encouraged, and 
supported cigarette smoking by servicemembers (``Smoke 'em if you've got 
'em.'');

    (6) a significant number of veterans were nonsmokers upon entering 
military service and began smoking during military service, and reliable 
studies indicate that 75 percent of World War II veterans began smoking 
tobacco products as young adults during the course of their military 
service;

    (7) labeling requirements warning of the addictive nature of nicotine 
and the dangers of tobacco-related products, which were applicable to 
tobacco products sold in the commercial market, were not mandated for 
products distributed through the military system until 1970, five years 
after the requirement was applied to products sold in the civilian market; 
and

    (8) the Department of Veterans Affairs has been authorized by law to 
provide tobacco to veterans receiving hospital or domiciliary care since 
1957 and was authorized to do so by regulation since at least 1933;

Whereas the President has made it a major public health priority to promote 
        increased public awareness of the dangers of tobacco usage and to regard 
        nicotine and its delivery device (cigarettes) as a drug subject to 
        regulation by the Food and Drug Administration;
Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that the Veterans Health 
        Administration presently spends more than $4,000,000,000 per year 
        providing health care to veterans suffering from tobacco-related 
        illnesses; and
Whereas the President's budget for fiscal year 1999 assumes the United States 
        will receive $65,500,000,000 from tobacco settlement proceeds, but does 
        not set aside any of those proceeds for the tobacco-related expenses of 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that substantial amounts of the 
proceeds received by the United States under any congressionally 
approved tobacco settlement should be allocated to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
                                 <all>