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To: Brian Malloy who wrote (1714)	6/2/1998 8:13:00 PM
From: Gwolf	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6439

Does anyone know how this current legislation is going to affect smokeless tobacco? Will they receive the same restrictions and taxes or are they considered to be in a different category. I haven't seen this area addressed and I wondered why. Any insights would be appreciated. Gwolf

To: Brian Malloy who wrote (1714)	6/3/1998 9:19:00 PM
From: John Doyle	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6439

This whole thing is just a way for politicians and lawyers to rape and rob the public. These guys are shameless. Just in case you didn't see what has come out in Florida........... Wednesday June 3, 8:02 pm Eastern Time Florida ethics panel decries tobacco litigation By Michael Peltier TALLAHASSEE. Fla., June 3 (Reuters) - Florida officeholders cut secret deals, avoided an open process and may have committed campaign finance violations in their drive to win an $11.3 billion settlement from the tobacco industry, a state investigation committee chairman said Wednesday. ''When billions of dollars are at stake, people should never be excluded,'' state Sen. Charles Crist, Republican of St. Petersburg and chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, told reporters in Tallahassee. ''They were in this instance and that is an outrage. It was wrong and never should have happened.'' Capping a six-month investigation into how state leaders picked private attorneys to sue the tobacco industry, Crist said state officials did the public a great disservice by hiring outside help when state attorneys could have handled the case much less expensively. That included Florida's governor and attorney general, he said. ''A deal was cut where just a few will share in billions of dollars,'' Crist said. ''That's not government in the sunshine. That's government in the darkness.'' Crist's comments came as Gov. Lawton Chiles was on the road for a ceremonial signing of the Florida Kidcare Act, which provides health insurance to more than 250,000 children. Passed by lawmakers in May, the $344-million program is receiving $75 million from the tobacco settlement money. Chiles could not immediately be reached for comment but has testified under oath that he was unaware of how private attorneys were hired and did not care. Crist, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, launched an investigation in December after members of the trial team filed a lawsuit to collect fees from the $11.3 billion settlement reached in August between the state and tobacco companies over Medicaid costs related to smoking-related illnesses. The trial team members are seeking 25 percent of the award under an earlier agreement with the state. Crist's investigation has led to the resignation of some of Chiles' staff members, including a former inspector general who was suspended for borrowing money from members of the trial team. Crist said he would file a formal complaint with the Florida Elections Commission, alleging campaign finance violations surrounding solicitations for donations from trial team members and the use of state offices for campaign duties. He also said he would contact state prosecutors to determine if laws were broken.