logo
Vape regulation bill advances in Tennessee House

Vape regulation bill advances in Tennessee House

Yahoo11-03-2025

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — A legislative committee advanced a bill co-sponsored by a local lawmaker that would tax vapor products and limit which products can be sold.
State Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville) is the co-sponsor of House Bill 968, which cleared the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee in a 12–1 vote Monday.
Amended bill would give Johnson City power to set alcohol sale hours
The bill would limit the sale of vapor products to those that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or are still under FDA review. It would also tax disposable vape products at 7 cents per milliliter and refillable vape products at 10% of wholesale cost price.
Speaking before the committee, Hawk said the goal of the bill is to keep vapor products out of children's hands. Opponents say it would force most if not all vape shops to close and lead to more people turning to tobacco.
The bill will now go to the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee. The Senate version, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Yager (R-Kingston), is on the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee's agenda for Tuesday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Idaho senators should protect school choice in ‘Big Beautiful Bill'
Idaho senators should protect school choice in ‘Big Beautiful Bill'

Yahoo

time40 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Idaho senators should protect school choice in ‘Big Beautiful Bill'

President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' is now moving through the U.S. Senate, and conservative Christians are thrilled with many of the provisions that have been included so far. Although we don't yet know how the Senate version of the bill will shake out, it's worth noting that the version passed by the House late last month fulfills many of the pro-family policies made by the Trump administration. These include an expansion to the child tax credit for working families, tax benefits for adoptive parents and making permanent the Trump personal income and business tax cuts that fueled the above-average economic growth America experienced before the pandemic derailed international markets. However, one provision in particular that would improve educational access and outcomes for all students has flown under the radar so far. The provision would help more than one million students across the country access the educational support they need by creating special tax benefits for private donations to scholarship-granting organizations. It is modeled after the Educational Choice for Children Act, a federal proposal that has been introduced multiple times over the past several years and has earned the support of Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, as well as other conservative stalwarts like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina. Scholarship-granting organizations already exist in many states, providing scholarships directly to students for tuition, tutoring, special needs services, education technology and curriculum materials. The provision offers both a supplement and alternative for students in states like Idaho, which has already begun moving down the road to more universal school choice programs by offering a new $5,000 refundable tax credit paid directly to the private school and homeschool families. Some parents — particularly within the homeschooling community — have voiced concerns that new school choice initiatives, such as Idaho's refundable tax credit, might jeopardize their educational freedom. After all, government money usually comes with strings attached. When you take the government cheese, you have to step into the regulatory mousetrap. And even if those restrictions aren't imposed right away, the door remains open for future state and federal mandates. Importantly, the ECCA provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill addresses these concerns by making sure no government funds go to the organizations, schools, or families involved — thereby avoiding another opportunity for government regulation. Instead, the ECCA establishes tax incentives for private donations to scholarship-granting organizations, which then award scholarships directly to students. Because this is private money — not government dollars — families can freely choose the best educational options for their children without government interference. All of this explains why the ECCA is supported by homeschool freedom advocates, including the Home School Legal Defense Association. In fact, the ECCA model helps ensure that parents remain in control of their children's education, consistent with biblical principles like Ephesians 6:4, which commands fathers to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Not only would the ECCA provision in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' help parents fulfill this biblical responsibility, but it would also expand educational opportunities for children currently stuck in failing public schools, no matter the state in which they live. Nationwide school choice which empowers parents while also protecting educational freedom is a high priority for Trump — and it should be just as high a priority for our legislative branch as they set education policy. With that in mind, we call on the U.S. Senate to keep the ECCA provision in whichever version of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' they adopt. Our children — and their families — deserve it. Blaine Conzatti is the president of Idaho Family Policy Center.

3 ways Trump's policy bill hurts Tesla
3 ways Trump's policy bill hurts Tesla

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

3 ways Trump's policy bill hurts Tesla

Elon Musk has been feuding with President Trump over a bill the president is championing that, among other things, cuts incentives for electric vehicles and solar energy that benefit Musk's company Tesla. Trump said Musk's vocal opposition to Republicans' 'big, beautiful bill' is based on its elimination of incentives for electric vehicles (EVs). 'Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here. … He had no problem with it,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 'All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate, because that's billions and billions of dollars,' he added. While the bill may not be all bad for Musk – including preserving Trump's 2017 income tax cuts – it contains significant provisions that impact Musk's flagship company. It also rolls back green-tax incentives. Since he's stepped away of the Trump administration, the entrepreneur has been a vocal critic of the legislation, including lamenting that 'there is no change to tax incentives for oil & gas, just EV/solar.' While the House narrowly passed its version of the bill in late May, it is facing hurdles in the Senate, where it is so far losing some momentum. Here's a look at the provisions that may be particularly impactful for the company – as well as other electric vehicle and climate-friendly energy companies: One major way in which the 'big, beautiful bill' harms Tesla is by making its cars more expensive. The Democrats' 2022 Inflation Reduction Act lifted a cap allowing manufacturers that had already sold more than 200,000 electric vehicles to once again be eligible for the $7,500 consumer tax credit. It also extended eligibility for the credit through 2032 The bill effectively made the cars $7,500 cheaper for consumers. But, the credits are cut in the GOP's bill. Without that credit, Tesla and other EV makers may make fewer sales. One major hurdle facing the adoption of electric vehicles is that they are oftentimes more expensive than gas-powered cars. However, Musk has contended when he was supporting Trump that he does not need the tax credit. Tesla Energy sells both rooftop solar energy and grid scale solar power – both of which are hampered by the Republican bill. The legislation axes tax credits for rooftop solar after this year. It also eliminates tax credits for any grid scale project that begins construction more than 60 days after the bill is enacted. Projects also need to begin producing energy by the end of 2028 to become eligible. These utility scale cuts are controversial even within the GOP and could face changes in the Senate. The legislation would eliminate a Biden-era regulation that forces the electric vehicle market to shift toward EVs. While Tesla is already all-electric, doing so could still impact its bottom line, as the way the regulations are set up, automakers either have to make their vehicles greener or purchase credits from automakers like Tesla that already outperform the regulations. If the regulation is weakened, traditional car manufacturers may not have to buy as many credits from EV-makers like Tesla. However, it's not clear whether this provision will make it into what's ultimately passed because it will first need to be approved by the Senate parliamentarian, which sets the rules for what types of provisions are eligible in legislation passed through a procedure that requires just 50 votes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

‘Have a nice day, DJT!': Trump's breakup with Musk devolves into a war of insults
‘Have a nice day, DJT!': Trump's breakup with Musk devolves into a war of insults

American Military News

timean hour ago

  • American Military News

‘Have a nice day, DJT!': Trump's breakup with Musk devolves into a war of insults

President Donald Trump's friendship and political alliance with Elon Musk, the world's richest man, who fueled Trump's campaign with record amounts of cash before working at the White House by his side until last week, appears to be over, with both men leveling searing criticism against one another in a sharp public row. Musk had been criticizing the Trump administration over its signature legislation, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' for its projected impact on the national debt throughout last week. But his calls to 'kill the bill' on Wednesday prompted Trump, speaking to media from the Oval Office, to respond in kind. 'Elon and I had a great relationship, I don't know if we will anymore,' Trump said Thursday. 'And he hasn't said bad things about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next. But I'm very disappointed in Elon.' Musk, responding on his social media platform, X, took credit for Trump's election victory. The billionaire entrepreneur, whose companies also include SpaceX and Tesla, contributed over $280 million to Trump and other Republicans during the 2024 presidential campaign. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk wrote. 'Such ingratitude.' Matters only deteriorated as the day progressed. After meeting with the German chancellor, Trump wrote on social media that the 'easiest way' to save billions in federal spending would be to 'terminate Elon's government subsidies and contracts.' 'Make my day,' Musk shot back, before claiming in a subsequent post that Trump had withheld the full release of FBI files on Jeffrey Epstein, the late child sex offender, because they would implicate the president himself. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files,' Musk wrote. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' The exchange broke open a feud that had been simmering for weeks out of public view. In private, Musk had relayed concerns over the bill to the president, while expressing disagreement with several other policies, including the establishment of an artificial intelligence campus in the Middle East and Trump's announcement of global tariffs. 'I agree with much of what the administration does, but we have differences of opinion,' Musk said in a more muted tone last week, speaking in an interview with CBS. 'You know, there are things that I don't entirely agree with. But it's difficult for me to bring that up in an interview because then it creates a bone of contention,' he added. 'So then, I'm a little stuck in a bind, where I'm like, well, I don't wanna, you know, speak up against the administration, but I also don't wanna take responsibility for everything this administration's doing.' In the Oval Office, Trump said he believed that Musk had turned on him after he rejected Musk's recommendation for the head of NASA, a position that could benefit SpaceX, Musk's spaceship company. He also said that Musk opposed provisions of Trump's megabill that would phase out tax credits for electric vehicles. 'Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here. Better than you people. He knew everything about it — he had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate, because that's billions and billions of dollars,' Trump said. 'People leave my administration and they love us, and at some point, they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile,' Trump added. 'I don't know what it is.' But Musk denied he had been shown the bill, responding on X that he wouldn't mind if the EV provisions remain in the text so long as others, which he said would balloon annual deficits, are cut. 'This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!' Musk wrote. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.' The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released an assessment on Wednesday estimating that the 'big, beautiful bill,' which has passed the House and is under consideration in the Senate, would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, and result in 10.9 million Americans losing health insurance coverage over the same period. At the beginning of the administration, Trump put Musk in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a White House program that intended on cutting federal spending and reducing the deficit. Musk's tenure in the role, designated as a special government employee, ended last week. On X, Musk posted a collection of past remarks from Trump warning against growing deficits and congressional actions increasing the debt ceiling, adding, 'where is this guy today?' 'Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill,' Musk added. 'Slim and beautiful is the way.' ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store