Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, will convene a hearing titled, "Keeping Small, Premium Cigar Businesses Rolling" on Friday, April 5, 2019, at 1:00 PM. Directly following the hearing, Rubio will hold a brief media availability.
 
The hearing will look at the climate of overregulation of the premium cigar industry, an iconic staple to Florida's economy. Earlier this year, Rubio re-introduced the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2019, which seeks to exempt premium cigars from excessive and overly burdensome U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and fees. Last year, Rubio spoke on the Senate floor on behalf of his amendment to save the premium cigar industry after leading a bipartisan letter to the FDA that urged an exemption of premium, hand-rolled cigars from these overreaching regulations, which threaten American premium cigar manufacturers and retailers, and could force this industry of mostly small businesses across the country to close. In 2016, Rubio visited Tampa's J.C. Newman Cigar Company to meet with workers whose paychecks are being threatened by destructive regulations from Washington. In 2014, Senator Rubio penned an op-ed that called for "a halt to unnecessary federal regulations that threaten" this industry.
 
The hearing will be live-streamed on Senator Marco Rubio's Facebook page.
 
Members of the media planning to attend must RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Witnesses
Mr. Charles Maresca, Director of Interagency Affairs, Office of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration
 
Dr. Brad Rodu, Endowed Chair, Tobacco Harm Reduction Research, University of Louisville
 
Mr. Jeff Borysiewicz, President and Founder, Corona Cigar Company and Florida Sun Grown, Florida's only tobacco farm
 
Mr. Drew Newman, General Counsel and great-grandson of the Founder, J.C. Newman Cigar Company
 
Hearing Details:
Keeping Small, Premium Cigar Businesses Rolling
Friday, April 5, 2019
1:00 PM, EDT
Hillsborough Community College, Ybor City Campus
Performing Arts Building
2112 North 15^th Street
Tampa, Florida
Note: Directly following the hearing Rubio will hold a brief media availability.