Philip Morris

Hagan is 35th richest lawmaker

bniolet — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:32:38 -0400

Sen. Kay Hagan ranks 35th on The Hill's Rich List, a compilation of the 50 wealthiest lawmakers in Washington.

The feature cited Hagan's stock holdings in drug makers Pfizer and Genentech as well as Richmond, Va., based tobacco maker Altria and its subsidiary Philip Morris. Most of her estimated $6.7 million worth is related to her interest in a Florida commercial real estate business owned by her father.

The Hill's rankings, which are admittedly imprecise, list Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry as the richest lawmaker with a worth of $167.8 million, much of which comes from his wife's interest in ketchup.

Hagan is the only member of the state's Congressional delegation to make the Hill's list.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated where Altria has its headquarters.

A personal story of lung cancer

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:45:23 -0400

Rep. Jeff Barnhart told a personal story.

The Cabarrus County Republican again shared the story of his father-in-law, who died of lung cancer after working in a smoky office for years.

He said his father-in-law used to remove his clothes in the garage after he got home because his family couldn't stand how he smelled.

"We can accept the fact that Dan died, we can accept the fact that he had cancer," he said. "But I'll tell you folks, it's really hard to accept why he died."

Barnhart, whose district includes Philip Morris, choked up briefly during his speech in favor of a smoking ban. He said arguments about smokers' rights ignore the effects on nonsmokers' rights.

"We are fighting for a personal freedom that Dan didn't have," he said. "He did not die because he smoked. He died because someone else wanted their freedom to smoke."

Sens. oppose FDA tobacco oversight

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:38:31 -0400

North Carolina's two senators have proposed a new agency regulate tobacco.

As an alternative to the possible regulation of tobacco products by the Food and Drug Administration. Republican Sen. Richard Burr and Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan filed a bill today that would create a Federal Tobacco Regulatory Agency.

The bill is an attempt to stave off legislation backed by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and President Obama that would give the FDA regulatory control over harmful chemicals and additives in cigarettes.

Both Burr and Hagan say that the FDA, which oversees such things as cosmetics, prescription drugs and vitamins, is overworked.

"The FDA is overburdened already, and lacks the capacity or the expertise to take on a large, complicated new industry," Hagan said in a statement. "I will not stand idly by while the FDA is put in charge of such a critical industry to North Carolina."

Winston-Salem-based tobacco company R.J. Reynolds opposes FDA regulation bill, although Virginia-based Philip Morris USA supports it.

Burr, who lives in Winston-Salem, has threatened to filibuster the bill, according to the Washington Post.

Previously: Hagan opposes FDA tobacco regulation during Senate campaign.

The Tobacco Caucus

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:57:47 -0500

Which legislators have tobacco companies in their districts?

With the General Assembly again considering enacting a smoking ban in restaurants and workplaces, Dome decided to see who represents the tobacco firms.

Alternative Brands, Mocksville:
Rep. Julia Howard, Sen. Andrew Brock

Commonwealth Brands, Reidsville:
Rep. Nelson Cole, Sen. Phil Berger

Lorillard, Greensboro:
Rep. Maggie Jeffus, Sen. Don Vaughan

Philip Morris, Concord:
Rep. Jeff Barnhart, Sen. Fletcher Hartsell

Reynolds American, Winston-Salem:
Rep. Larry Womble, Sen. Linda Garrou

Reynolds American, Tobaccoville:
Rep. Dale Folwell, Sen. Pete Brunstetter

In the 2007 session, Reps. Howard, Jeffus, Barnhart and Womble voted for a smoking ban in public places, while Reps. Cole and Folwell voted against it.

Tobacco companies ready for a fight

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:18:27 -0500

Tobacco companies are gearing up to fight a smoking ban.

The state's three major tobacco companies — Philip Morris, Lorillard and Reynolds American — plan to fight a proposal by Rep. Hugh Holliman to ban smoking in restaurants and other public places.

Michael Shannon, a staff lobbyist for Lorillard, said they think that decision should be left to the marketplace, which is already moving voluntarily toward more smoke-free establishments.

"We think there should be some accommodation for those owners of restaurants, bars or night clubs who know their customers and want to provide a smoking alternative," he told Dome.

He also argued that a provision in the bill that would allow local government to set stricter rules on smoking would put a strain on owners of multiple establishments and create havoc for customers.

"You could have a bar on one side of the street have one set of rules, and a bar on the other side have another set of rules," he said.

Lorillard has also retained Frederick Bone, son of former tobacco lobbyist Roger Bone. Reynolds American has retained lobbyist Eugene Ainsworth. A spokesman for Philip Morris said they will also hire a lobbyist, but none was registered yet with the Secretary of State.

Holliman files smoking ban bill

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:38 -0500

Rep. Hugh Holliman has filed the first bill of 2009.

The House majority leader submitted H.B. 2 today, as promised.

The bill's title says it would "Prohibit Smoking in Public and Work Places." No further information was available, but the Lexington Democrat has said he would ban smoking in places such as restaurants and allow local government to pass stricter bans.

It is co-sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Weiss, a Cary Democrat; Rep. Rick Glazier, a Fayetteville Democrat; and Rep. Jeff Barnhart, a Concord Republican.

Barnhart was notable in the 2007 session for being one of the Republicans to crossover in favor of a failed attempt at the ban, despite having a Philip Morris plant in his district.

He gave an emotional speech at the time, noting his father-in-law died of secondhand smoke.

Across party lines on budget

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:00:35 -0400

Two senators who broke party lines on the budget cited their local economy.

Sen. John Snow, a Murphy Democrat, said he could not support the budget written by his fellow party members because it gave counties the option of levying a transfer tax on real estate sales.

Snow said that home builders and Realtors are supporting the economy of his mountain district right now because of second-homes, retirees and new families. He pledged in his 2004 campaign that he would not support impact fees or transfer taxes.

"More than anything else, it was just a matter of keeping my word," he said.

Sen. Fletcher Hartsell, a Concord Republican, said he supported the Democrat-crafted budget because it included funding for a new research center in Kannapolis.

He said that his district has been hit hard by the closure of the Pillowtex plant in 2003 and the loss of jobs at a Philip Morris plant earlier this year. He thinks the research center, which will focus on biotechnology, will help turn things around.

"In my judgment, it is an essential aspect of the redevelopment of the local economy," he said.

A PAC of cigarettes?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 04 May 2007 16:29:13 -0400

Political action committees associated with four major tobacco companies gave about $28,000 since 2000 to 11 of the 17 Democrats who voted against the smoking ban.

As Dome noted earlier, they were the crossovers who went against party line, helping defeat the bill.

Lorillard, R.J. Reynolds, Standard Commercial Tobacco, Philip Morris and its parent company Altria gave mostly small donations of $250, $500 or $1,000 through their PACs, typical of their contributions to other legislators.

The biggest recipient was Rep. Nelson Cole of Reidsville, who got $8,750 between 2000 and 2006. Rep. James Crawford of Oxford received $5,500 during that same time period.

Both represent tobacco-growing areas in North Carolina.

Reps. R. Van Braxton, Walter Church, Mary McAllister, Timothy Spear and Edith Warren were not listed on campaign finance reports filed by the tobacco companies' PACs.

Among the Republicans who voted for the bill, Rep. Julia Howard received $4,200 and Rep. Jeff Barnhart received $2,250.

Smoking ban crossover

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 03 May 2007 08:53:14 -0400

Among the crossover votes on the failed smoking ban, Rep. Jeff Barnhart was notable.

The Concord Republican's district includes a cigarette manufacturing plant owned by Virginia-based Philip Morris USA.

He began his remarks by noting that a lot of people in his district disagreed with his decision to support the bill.

He then spoke about his father-in-law, a nonsmoker who died of lung cancer after working around smokers, and his fears for his daughter's health.

"This is not against smokers. I've got some real good friends that smoke a lot. This is not against them personally," he said. "But when you talk about freedoms, I think somebody else's freedom ends when it enters my lungs."

Barnhart on smoking ban