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THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON November 16, 1998 TOBACCO SETTLEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: November 16, 1998 LOCATION: Roosevelt Room BRIEFING TIME: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm EVENT TIME: 3:35 pm - 4:00 pm FROM: Bruce Reed I. PURPOSE To declare that the proposed state tobacco settlement is a step in the right direction and call on Congress to finish the job. II. BACKGROUND You will make a statement declaring that the proposed state tobacco settlement is a step in the right direction and calling on Congress to finish the job. This is an opportunity to praise the state Attorneys General for their perseverance in this fight to hold the tobacco industry accountable for targeting children; it is also an opportunity to announce that enacting national tobacco legislation to finish the job will be one of your top priorities in the next Congress. You will also underscore the Administration's strong commitment to the FDA tobacco rule, noting that the Solicitor General has decided to seek Supreme Court review of the Fourth Circuit's decision invalidating the rule. You will be joined by seven state Attorneys General following the unveiling of their package at the National Press Club. National Tobacco Legislation will be one of your Top Priorities for Next Congress. You will announce that enacting national tobacco legislation will be one of your top priorities for the next Congress. The new Congress has the chance to put politics aside and do what the last Congress failed to do -- act now to prevent three million children from starting smoking and save one million lives over the next five years. The Solicitor General will Seek Supreme Court Review of the Fourth Circuit FDA Decision. You will reiterate your support for the FDA tobacco rule which you unveiled in 1995 and which the tobacco industry has challenged in court ever since. Last week, the full Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Administration's request for a rehearing of the panel decision invalidating the FDA rule. You will make clear that the Solicitor General has authorized the filing of a petition for certiorari in the Supreme Court seeking review of the Fourth Circuit's decision in this matter. Confirming the FDA's authority over tobacco products is necessary to help stop young people from smoking before they