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Committee adopts amendment to redirect $3 million from tobacco prevention to general fund amid budget pressure
Summary
After debate, the Senate Appropriations Committee amended SB 54 to reduce the Department of Health's tobacco-prevention allocation from $5 million to $2 million, sending $3 million to the general fund. Health advocates warned the reduction could undermine prevention work despite declines in tobacco use.
The Senate Appropriations Committee amended and approved Senate Bill 54 to change how cigarette and other tobacco tax revenue is distributed, reducing the dedicated tobacco-prevention allocation from $5 million to $2 million and making an additional $3 million available to the general fund.
Jim Toeliger of the Bureau of Finance and Management, who introduced the amendment, said the state faces large mandatory budget increases, particularly for Medicaid, and that tobacco use has declined substantially over the last decade. He told the committee that young-adult tobacco use fell from 32 percent in 2014 to 7.8 percent in 2024 and that high-school tobacco use…
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