Larson Votes for Legislation to Address Youth Vaping

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) voted to favorably report legislation to address youth vaping out of the Ways and Means Committee.

"We are facing a public health crisis in this country that has escalated quickly with life-threatening consequences. There have been 18 deaths and 1,000 vaping related illnesses across the U.S. In Connecticut alone there have been 25 reported cases of pulmonary illness related to vaping and one death related to vaping. Connecticut is leading the way to address this crisis by passing a law that does not allow those under 21 to purchase e-cigarettes and also increases enforcement.

"According to the Centers for Disease Control in 2018, 3.6 million youth were using e-cigarettes. They have been misled by the vaping industry who has told them it is safe. Studies show that youth who vape are more likely to smoke. The Ways and Means Committee is taking critical steps to address this crisis by passing bipartisan legislation which will impose taxes on highly addictive e-cigarettes and removes barriers to inhalers for those with chronic conditions. This is a critical step forward," said Larson.

The Ways and Means Committee passed:

• H.R. 4742 which imposes a tax on nicotine used in vaping.
• H.R. 4716 The Inhaler Coverage and Access Now (I CAN) Act, which removes a barrier to inhalers for the treatment of chronic conditions for consumers enrolled in high-deductible health plans.
• H.R. 1922 The Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2019, which repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that limit payments for certain medications from HSAs, medical savings accounts (MSA), health flexible spending arrangements (FSA), and health reimbursement arrangements (HRA) to only prescription drugs or insulin (allowing distributions from such accounts for over-the-counter drugs). The bill also allows the accounts to be used for menstrual care products.
• H.R. 3708 The Primary Care Enhancement Act of 2019, which allows individuals with a direct primary care (DPC) arrangement whose fixed periodic fee does not exceed $150 a month to participate in and contribute to a health savings account allowing for greater access to primary care and preventive services.