States

Calilfornia:
 
San Diego mayor endorses using tobacco settlement funding for pension deficit
The mayor of San Diego is endorsing a controversial idea of using proceeds from the tobacco industry to help pay for the city’s pension deficit. He would like to borrow the money from the $10 million per year the industry provides to the state. Tobacco control advocates recommend that at least some of the money should go toward tobacco control and education. Click for more information.

Mississippi:
 
Mississippi funding bills for tobacco control in debate
Mississippi House Bill 1115 and Senate Bill 2760 would guarantee that legislators would direct $20 million to the private, nonprofit group called The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. These bills are designed to end a political battle over state funding for anti-smoking programs. Click for more information about these bills.
 
Mississippi governor has other plan for Partnership’s settlement money
Governor Haley Barbour, would prefer that $20 million earmarked for the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi be channeled to a proposal known as the Healthy Kids Initiative, thus dissolving the Partnership organization. A Senate committee has already approved a bill that would keep the Partnership in business and the state House approved the bill a week earlier. Click for more information on this battle of the bucks. Click for a response from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

South Carolina:
 
Health advocacy groups in South Carolina say settlement funds used poorly
Eight years after the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, the governor and legislature of South Carolina agree that the money has been used poorly. Cigarette smoking in the state costs an estimated $1 billion annually in health care costs, but only a small portion of the settlement money has been spent in on smoking prevention, education and cessation initiatives. Click for more information.

Vermont:
 
Vermont attorney general criticizes proposals to use settlement money
The attorney general of Vermont has criticized the state for proposing to use millions of dollars from the national tobacco settlement for scholarships and budget deficit. Click for more information.

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