{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20141206004917/http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=1b2cff24-3625-4e2d-871a-7dc221391574", "Durbin Provision To Reduce Risks Of Tobacco Related Illness Among Servicemembers Included in Defense Authorization Bill", "2014-12-03", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Richard Durbin", "D000563", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today applauded the inclusion of a provision in the compromise National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that eliminates the military\u2019s price discount for tobacco products. Durbin authored a similar provision in the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Appropriations Bill, which was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this year. Almost one-quarter of U.S. servicemembers smoke, and more than one in three military smokers began doing so after enlisting. The NDAA \u2013 the final result of negotiations between the House and Senate Armed Services committees \u2013 was filed in the House of Representatives earlier today.\n\u00a0\n\u201cSmoking rates among servicemembers are 20 percent higher than the rest of America and use of spit tobacco is more than 450 percent higher,\u201d Durbin said. \u201cDiscounting tobacco products lures even more servicemen and women into this unhealthy and deadly addiction. Ending this price subsidy is a commonsense reform that will protect the health of our nation\u2019s troops. I look forward to reviewing the Defense Department\u2019s upcoming evaluation of tobacco use in the military, and to working with the Department to tackle this culture of tobacco use head on.\u201d\n\u00a0\nStudies show that a ten percent increase in cigarette prices reduces consumption by 3 to 5 percent among adults. Yet, tobacco sold at military exchanges is subject to a 5 percent discount compared to prices in the local community, and because of lax enforcement and ill-defined community comparisons, discounts can be as high as 25 percent off or more. \u00a0The provision included in the NDAA and the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Appropriations Bill fully eliminates these price discounts on tobacco products sold on military installations.\n\u00a0\nIn July, Durbin wrote Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel urging the Department to eliminate the military\u2019s price discount for tobacco products and to act aggressively to reduce the risks tobacco poses to our service members. A copy of that letter is available here.\n\u00a0\nIn June, Durbin chaired a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on Fiscal Year 2015 funding requests for the Department of Defense (DOD).\u00a0During the hearing, Durbin questioned both Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, regarding the practice of discounting tobacco products for servicemembers. Video of Durbin\u2019s remarks at that hearing are available here.\n\u00a0\nDurbin\u2019s provision is supported by the Cancer Action Network, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the American Public Health Association, and the Commissioned Officers Association.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20141206004917/http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=1b2cff24-3625-4e2d-871a-7dc221391574"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8230509702116251, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}