barack obama marlboro

Altria Spent Over $3.1M Lobbying Government In 4Q

Altria Client Services Inc., on behalf of the nation’s biggest cigarette maker, spent more than $3.1 million in the fourth quarter to lobby in favor of a bill that will give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the industry and other issues, according to a recent disclosure form.
Altria (nyse: MO – news – people ) also lobbied the federal government on legislation involving immigration, labor issues, cigarette trafficking and a proposed hike in the federal excise tax on cigarettes in the October-December period, according to the report filed Jan. 20 with the House clerk’s office.The House and Senate have approved different versions of the bill that would raise taxes on cigarettes, and they are expected to resolve the differences before it would go to President Barack Obama. Once approved, the tax would rise 61 cents to $1 per pack, effective April 1. Analysts have said this would depress domestic sales volume of cigarettes, already suffering from smoking bans and health concerns.
Richmond, Va.-based Altria Group Inc. owns Marlboro maker Philip Morris USA and UST (nyse: UST – news – people ), the U.S. leader in smokeless tobacco with brands such as Copenhagen and Skoal.
Altria has been a strong supporter of the bill that gives industry oversight to the FDA. Only recently did the bill get support from smokeless tobacco maker UST Inc., which Altria bought in a deal that closed last month.The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act could be back before Congress within a matter of weeks, Citigroup (nyse: C – news – people ) analyst Adam Spielman told investors last week. “Given the Democratic control of Congress and the White House, we expect the bill to pass,” he wrote in a research note.

Obama Inauguration – Marlboro College