Cleland, Miller propose rival measures to help tobacco farmers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Georgia&#39;s two Democratic senators support a bailout for struggling tobacco farmers, but a dispute over whether to tie cigarette regulations to it has prompted rival proposals. <br> <br> Sens. Max Cleland and Zell Miller insist there are far more similarities than differences in their plans to pay farmers to stop growing tobacco, the first two such bills introduced in the Senate this session. <br> <br> However, after more than two weeks of talks, the two found they couldn&#39;t craft a unified approach and drafted separate versions, setting up a potential Cleland vs. Miller debate on the Senate floor. <br> <br> The major sticking point comes not in the buyout language, which is almost identical, but in the question of whether such a plan should include new Food and Drug Administration regulations aimed at preventing minors from smoking. <br> <br> Miller insists one can&#39;t and shouldn&#39;t pass without the other. Cleland, although not necessarily opposed to the regulations, prefers a streamlined, buyout-only approach. <br> <br> ``I&#39;m not particularly hostile to it, but I just wanted the basics,&#39;&#39; said Cleland, who proposed his version last month. ``This is just basic fundamental vanilla. Whether we add some strawberries and whipped cream, I don&#39;t know.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The FDA asserted jurisdiction over tobacco and sought to crack down on cigarette sales to minors in 1996, but the Supreme Court ruled two years ago that the agency needed congressional approval. Some in Congress including Miller are seeking that approval now, hoping to use the bailout as an incentive. <br> <br> The two senators cite basically the same reason for promoting their own proposals. Miller says the buyout won&#39;t have enough congressional support without the regulations while Cleland contends they would water it down, hampering its chances of passage. <br> <br> ``We&#39;ve got a little difference of opinion here,&#39;&#39; Miller said. ``That&#39;s why he decided to go his way and I go mine.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> In addition, Cleland&#39;s proposal would replace the tobacco system with a new licensing system aimed at bringing long-term economic stability for current leaf-growing communities. Miller&#39;s doesn&#39;t include that provision. <br> <br> Republicans have been trying to make the case that Cleland, facing a tough re-election this year, has numerous political differences with Miller, the popular former governor who has backed several key GOP issues. <br> <br> However, both said the tobacco differences have nothing to do with politics, and Miller who endorses Cleland in a recent television ad warned Republicans not to use it as weapon to divide them. <br> <br> ``If they used a weapon, I would call that weapon a boomerang,&#39;&#39; Miller said. ``That&#39;s not going to work.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Rep. Saxby Chambliss, the GOP frontrunner against Cleland, opposes both proposals but finds Miller&#39;s particularly troublesome because of the regulations. He contends Cleland&#39;s licensing idea would restrict the number of new farmers who could grow tobacco. <br> <br> ``I don&#39;t want FDA on any farm in Georgia looking over the shoulder of my farmers,&#39;&#39; said Chambliss, a member of the Agriculture Committee. <br> <br> Cleland&#39;s proposal is viewed as a companion to one Rep. Ernie Fletcher, R-Ky., has introduced in the House. Miller&#39;s is similar to the version proposed by Reps. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., and Tom Davis, R-Va. <br> <br> Under both, farmers who owned quota in 1998 would be compensated $8 per pound, with still-active growers getting an addition $4 per pound in transition payments. The farmers would get five annual checks from 2003 to 2007.