The predicate date established in the Tobacco Control Act has been changed.

The tobacco industry is celebrating as the House Appropriations Committee has passed an amendment to change the predicate date for the Tobacco Control Act.

According to a report from the Cigar Association of America Inc., the predicate date, which was previously set at Feb. 15, 2007, has been changed to the effective date of the FDA’s new deeming regulation on cigars, pipe tobacco and vapor products. The costly and burdensome applications processes that would have been required under the Tobacco Control Act for thousands of products if the date had not been changed can now be avoided.

If not for this change, manufacturers would have been required to file new product applications for approval from the FDA for any product that was not on the market after Feb. 15, 2007, which could have cost more than $300,000 per product, the Cigar Association of America Inc. reported.

The Cigar Association of America Inc. also noted that its chairman Rogers, along with representatives Aderholt, Fleischmann and Harris M.D. spoke in support of the amendment. The Full House will now be taking the bill into consideration.