A bipartisan group of senators wants the vaping industry to pay for more of the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of vaping products.
Driving the news: Six senators, led by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, will introduce a bill today to charge e-cigarette manufacturers higher user fees, which fund many of the FDA's regulatory activities. A corresponding bill led by Rep. Cheri Bustos will be introduced in the House soon.
Why it matters: The FDA's Center for Tobacco Products has spent a lot of time and money on the vaping industry, but the fees that fund that activity are more geared toward cigarette, cigar and smokeless tobacco manufacturers.
The bill would up the tobacco industry's fees from $712 million to $812 million — the same increase the Trump administration's 2020 budget proposed. E-cigarette makers would have to pay fees based on their market share, or risk fines or even a ban.
