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Last Updated: Jan 31st, 2007 - 10:58:43 |
Protect tobacco funds
Nov 3, 2006, 17:01
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Settlement money should address health issues in Idaho. In the most complicated issue on the Idaho general election ballot, legislators are asking voters to force them to use tobacco settlement money properly. Senate Joint Resolution 107 is a constitutional amendment that would require Idaho to place 80 percent of the annual settlement received from tobacco companies – about $33 million at the start and about $24 million today – into a permanent endowment fund to support schools and higher education, among other things. The remaining 20 percent would be funneled annually into a dedicated Idaho Millennium Fund until it reaches $100 million. Then, all money would go to the permanent endowment fund. Earnings from the dedicated fund would be used for health-related issues, such as tobacco cessation programs for pregnant women, reduction in the sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to teens, and after-school programs for at-risk teens in the juvenile justice system. Advertisement The effect of the action would be to create a lockbox that couldn't be raided by lawmakers to balance the budget in lean times, as they did after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. In 1998, Idaho was one of the 46 states that settled a legal battle with the tobacco industry over its cost for health care as a result of cigarettes and other tobacco products. The agreement calls for payments of about $790 million over the first 25 years and is expected to continue indefinitely. That's too much money to make available for lawmakers to grab. Idahoans should remove temptation and support health programs by voting yes on SJR 107.
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