CASAA urges vapers: Tell Congress to support Cole-Bishop by March 22
March 22 is a crucial deadline for what many vapers have come to know as the Cole-Bishop Amendment. Otherwise known as HR 1136, this proposed piece of legislation will effectively change the predicate date of the FDA deeming regulations from February 15, 2007 to August 8, 2016 should the bill pass congressional approval.
According to the current rules, any retailer or manufacturer of any vaping product placed on the market after February 15, 2007 will be forced to comply with the ultra-expensive Pre-Market Tobacco Application (PMTA). Each PMTA can potentially cost the vendor a million dollars or more per product. Since the majority of vaping companies are small businesses, some economists estimate that nearly 99 percent of the American vaping industry is under threat of being regulated into bankruptcy by the FDA by the year 2022.
Why is March 22 so important?
March 22 just happens to be the cutoff date for Congress to finalize its two-year spending package. If the vaping industry wants to get a little financial support from Congress, then we only have a few days to convince, coerce, or cajole our local officials to cough up the loot.
Since this seems unlikely, an alternative solution would be to urge our state representatives and senators to simply pass the Cole-Bishop Amendment instead. In doing so, the Appropriations Committee would be forced to change the predicate date in the 2018 budget automatically.
CASAA leads the way!
There are lots of different ways to connect with our elected officials. Thanks to the Internet, vapers can send tweets, write emails, or even call the White House with the click of a mouse. But if you want to contact lots of different politicians at the same time, CASAA shows you how.
Simply travel to the CASAA Call to Action webpage, type in your name and address, and the email addresses of your local congressperson and two state senators will automatically appear in a pre-written, CASAA-created message. The email will state the following, but you can also edit it or add to it, if you like.
Way to go, CASAA! Getting involved in the War on Vaping has never been easier. We urge all of our readers to travel to the CASAA Call to Action page and contact your elected officials. The entire process only takes about 5-seconds! Please urge Congress to support the Cole-Bishop Amendment. March 22 may be our last chance!
Related Article: EMERGENCY! Take action NOW! Congress debate over Cole-Bishop Amendment Is TODAY!