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House approves amended cigarette-tax measure after long floor fight over rate and earmarks
Summary
After hours of debate, substitute motions and amendment votes, the Utah House adopted a second substitute for House Bill 27 (cigarette tax). Lawmakers split over rate, earmarking vs. general-fund treatment and uses including prevention programs and a one-time $250,000 media appropriation; the House recorded passage and sent the bill to the Senate.
Representative Jordan Tanner, sponsor of House Bill 27, urged members to raise the cigarette excise tax by 25 cents a pack, arguing that higher prices are a proven deterrent for teen smoking and that the revenue should be directed toward prevention programs for youth. Tanner cited national and state statistics on teenage smoking and public-health costs in support of the measure.
Debate centered on competing goals: members who supported a larger per-pack increase emphasized studies and out-of-state examples showing price-plus-media approaches can reduce…
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