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The U.S. Senate moves this morning toward a procedural vote that could diminish the hopes of U.S. Sen. Richard Burr to stop tobacco regulation by the Food and Drug Administration.

Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, hails from the hometown of R.J. Reynolds, producer of Camels and the nation’s second-largest tobacco manufacturing company, Barb Barrett reports.

He has vowed to do anything possibly to prevent passage of S.B. 982, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

Burr's threat has been widely interpreted as including a pledge to filibuster the bill — engaging in an endless debate or launching a series of procedural motions that can only be cut off by a 60-vote margin in the Senate.

That cloture vote is scheduled for 11 a.m. today.

More after the jump.

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.

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.