My return response:
May 9, 2016
Dear Todd,
Thank you for reaching out to me with your views regarding proposed regulations of electronic cigarettes by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Tobacco Control Act of 2009 (TCA). Listening to my constituents is a fundamental part of my job as it helps me to best represent you and New Hampshire’s priorities in Congress.
Thank you for sharing your positive experience with electronic cigarettes. As you know, the FDA released its proposed regulations on e-cigarettes in April of 2014. These rules would mandate that manufacturers win premarket approval for their products within two years, with the exception of those that had been grandfathered in. While traditional cigarettes were grandfathered in, electronic cigarettes were not, meaning that their manufacturers must go through the premarket approval process. Recently, several Members of Congress wrote a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell, requesting that the grandfather date of February 15, 2007 (the date the TCA was introduced in Congress) be changed to April 25, 2014 (the day the FDA’s proposed regulations were announced). If the grandfather date was changed to the date proposed by these Members, e-cigarettes would essentially be grandfathered in.
I appreciate your concerns regarding limits on e-cigarettes, but also believe that our government has a responsibility to maintain prudent restrictions on the marketing and labeling of consumer products. The FDA approval process is tasked with preventing products with harmful side effects from being distributed on the open market without the proper testing. As your Representative, I also take my responsibility to oversee federal agencies very seriously and will continue to monitor the FDA’s activities to ensure it is fulfilling its mission of protecting public health without needlessly obstructing medical progress. If I have the opportunity to vote on legislation concerning the FDA’s limits on electronic cigarettes, please know that I will keep your thoughtful views in mind.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. I strive to maintain an open dialogue with the people of New Hampshire about issues important to our district. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my Concord office at (603) 226-1002 or my Washington, DC office at (202) 225-5206. I also encourage you to visit my website at
http://Kuster.house.gov, follow me on Twitter at @RepAnnieKuster, or check out my Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/CongresswomanAnnieKuster.
Sincerely,
Ann McLane Kuster
Member of Congress