FROM TONY ABBOUD/VTA – Federal Update on Cole-Bishop from VTA

Federal Update on Cole-Bishop from VTA:

On April 30, 2017, at about 9:00 p.m. eastern, House and Senate leaders reached a deal to fund the government for the next five months. Though the bill averted a government shutdown, it did not include the Cole-Bishop Amendment, which has been the vapor industry’s top legislative priority. Our intelligence tells us that while Cole-Bishop was not included, this first major attempt to incorporate bipartisan legislation in support of the industry in a major budget bill was hugely impactful. In fact, unlike previous efforts, the ultimate decision came down to just a few senators.

While we are exceptionally grateful for each of those Members of Congress who spoke up for small businesses and the vapor industry, we are particularly grateful for each vapor company, large and small, who aggressively pushed the agenda and who encouraged others to write and call their elected officials.

And, while this particular outcome is disappointing, our resolve to save vapor is strong because we have only set the stage for future success. The current budget deal runs for only 5 months. During that time, we will continue to press for a Congressional solution.

As you know, the multi-pronged plan we laid out at the beginning of 2017 included both Congressional and Administration activities. In that regard, VTA already has commenced its strategies to seek relief from the Trump Administration. Just last week, VTA leadership met with Secretary Price’s senior leadership team to make the case for that relief. In the coming months, we will be moving forward on dual paths in Congress and the Administration.

This Tuesday, two members of our bi-partisan government affairs team will join us for a national webinar to provide an update on where things stand in Washington, D.C. for the vapor industry. We highly encourage you to click here to register and get the play-by-play on what went down this week and where we are heading: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist…/4892709478153348611

And, thank you for all you do to defend vapor!