Analyze and Evaluate the Federal Legislative Process Essay

Analyze and Evaluate the Federal Legislative Process - Essay Example We will get to understand this process even better by looking at the stages the family smoking prevention and tobacco control act, passed through till it was enforced as a law. We will also get to know the content of the bill and its importance. The family smoking prevention and tobacco control act, pub.l.111-31 H.R.1256 This is one of the major statutes in the federal government enacted during President Obama’s time .It came into effect on June 22, 2009 (Encyclopedia). The act gives the food and drug administration the power to regulate the tobacco industry. A signature element of the law imposes new warnings and labels on tobacco packaging and their advertisements, with the goal of discouraging minors and young adults from smoking. The Act also bans flavored cigarettes, limits on the advertising of tobacco products to minors and requires tobacco companies to seek FDA approval for new tobacco products. Legislative process Bill introduction and The First Reading According to ( Freeman), bill introduction and first reading is the initial stage in the legislative process. ... The family smoking prevention and tobacco act was introduced to respond to the decision, which had held that the Clinton administration's FDA had gone beyond its Congressionally delegated authority, thus giving the FDA the authority the Court determined it had lacked. The bill was passed by a vote of 298 to 112. Second Reading and Referral of the Bill to a Committee On May 20, 2009 the senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions were assigned the bill. Committee Stage of Bill The committee reviewed the text of the bill and there being no amendments they passed it to the next stage. Report Stage The family smoking prevention and tobacco control bill was further studied during the report stage by the members of the house of common in the committee and also those who were not in the committee passed the bill to the next stage there being no amendments. The Third Reading and adoption of Bill The members of the house of common came together to decide on whether the bill shou ld be adopted or not. They debated on the final form of the bill and its provisions. The bill provided for: i. Creation of a tobacco center within the FDA authority to regulate the content. ii. Marketing and sale of tobacco products. iii. It require the FDA approval for the use of expressions that indicate the capacity the product poses to health risk iv. limitation of advertisements that could attract young smokers Calls for new rules to prevent sales except through direct marketing. v. Face-to-face exchanges between a retailer and a consumer vi. The ban on flavoring applies to any product meeting the definition of a cigarette according to the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act. This includes any tobacco that comes