Clinton to Propose Bill to Protect State Tobacco Ad Restrictions

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) last week said that she will soon introduce legislation that would give state and local governments the right to restrict tobacco advertising beyond the limits set by the federal government, the AP/New York Post reports. The bill would circumvent the Supreme Court's June 28 ruling that state bans on tobacco advertising near playgrounds and schools violate tobacco companies' First Amendment rights. Calling the decision a "senseless obstacle to state and local innovation," Clinton said, "This bill would preserve the authority that state and local governments have exercised wisely to protect their residents in the absence of federal authority." Clinton is also a co-sponsor of a bill that would give regulatory authority over tobacco to the FDA (AP/New York Post, 8/28).