18 July 2016
First, Ryan Zinke saw the money — then, he saw the light
No, not the Lord’s light. Heaven forbid that I would accuse him of that. He found the ultraviolet indoor tanning lights. In particular, he found that the Affordable Care Act imposes a 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning salons — and on 20 October 2015, 40 days after his re-election campaign received a $1,000 contribution from the American Suntanning Association’s PAC, he signed up as a co-sponsor of H.R. 2698, Rep. Tom Price’s (R-GA) Tanning Tax Repeal Act of 2015.
Zinke was one of approximately 30 recipients of four-figure donations from the ASTA PAC. The parent organization, the American Suntanning Association, was formed in 2012, reported JAMA Dermatol in May, 2013:
…as an all-tanning-salon-owner organization by a group of owners of tanning salon chains. The ASA is “… dedicated to increasing public awareness about the facts associated with moderate UV exposure …”. 2 Examination of their website reveals messages quite similar to those found on the ITA website.3 The ASA website claims that IT is beneficial for vitamin D production, satisfies a need for moderate, responsible UV exposure, and even suggests that IT is an affordable self-treatment for cosmetic skin diseases that can be used to replace dermatologist-monitored phototherapy.4 There is also a focus on the small business nature of the tanning salon industry, which may be intended to convince legislators that tanning salon regulations could hurt business owners. The ASA site does not disclose published research that suggests IT beds are an ineffective method of promoting vitamin D production, or that responsible exposure can be difficult as UV levels in beds tend to vary quite unpredictably.5 [Quote via HHS Public Access.]
Price’s bill died, but the tanning tax repeal was rolled into H.R. 3672, an attempt to use the budget reconciliation process to repeal the ACA. H.R. 3672 passed the House 240–181, with 13 not voting, on 6 January. Zinke voted for the bill, which President Obama vetoed two days later. On 2 February, the House’s attempt to override the veto failed, leaving the ACA and the tanning tax in place.
Will Zinke see the light on the tanning tax again? Probably. Will his campaign see more of the tanners’ greenbacks? I’ll be watching.