The bill, designated as S. 16, and sponsored by Democratic State Sen. Shelly Mayer, would prevent the sale of “over-the-counter diet pills and dietary supplements for weight loss or muscle building” to minors. The bill would mandate a fine of up to $2,000 for each violation.
Mayer advanced the bill out of committee without a final vote directly to the Senate floor via an obscure parliamentary procedure called a Discharge Motion. It is reportedly used in some cases where a bill has opposition in committee but has languished beyond the 60-day deadline for action.
NPA: Legislative end run will limit info lawmakers have on bill before voting on it
Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and executive director of the Natural Products Association, said the legislative end run does away with the chance to have some important input into the bill. Other state senators will not hear from the Consumer Protections Committee about the bill and may not have enough time to fully comprehend the consequences of the bill before voting on it prior to a Thursday deadline, he said.
The bill says the targeted dietary supplements “may include, but are not limited to, thermogens, which are substances that produce heat in the body and promote 4 more calorie burning, lipotropics, which are compounds that help break 5 down fat during body metabolism, hormones, including hormone modulators 6 and hormone mimetics, appetite suppressants.”
Fabricant said Mayer characterized the ingredient creatine, which has a long record of safety and efficacy, as a ‘dangerous’ substance in her floor speech in support of the bill.