Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) on Thursday will introduce a bill that would soften the approval process for e-cigarettes under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The bill — “The Cigarette Smoking Reduction and Electronic Vapor Alternatives Act of 2017” — would create a new regulatory framework for vaping products. The bill would reverse the Obama administration's “Deeming Rule” which categorizes e-cigarettes as tobacco products subject to the same regulations on cigarettes.

E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, and instead heat nicotine-laced liquid into vapor.

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The FDA’s deeming regulation gives it the authority to review e-cigarettes before they hit the market, requiring all products that hit stores after February 2007 to apply retroactively for approval.

Critics say this is harmful for the industry because it is prohibitively expensive and the FDA has a backlog of tobacco products that could slow approval for newer e-cigarettes.

Hunter's bill would exempt vaping devices from that review and many other rules.

Hunter, a longtime defender of e-cigarettes, has pushed legislation to protect the growing industry and memorably puffed from an e-cigarette during a congressional hearing last year.

He also asked President Trump in January to repeal or delay the FDA deeming rule.

When the Navy decided to temporarily ban vaping throughout its fleet after multiple explosions caused by overheating batteries, Hunter wrote a letter to the service urging the officials to reconsider.

Hunter is not the only advocate of vaping devices.

Reps. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) introduced a separate proposal that would exempt thousands of vaping devices currently on the market from FDA approval. The proposal is expected to be attached as a rider to Trump's spending plan, according to Reuters.