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House adopts third substitute for tobacco-settlement spending after heated debate over prevention versus endowment
Summary
After hours of floor debate, the House passed a substituted version of Senate Bill 15 that sets allocations for tobacco-settlement proceeds, balancing prevention/cessation funding, research, drug-court support and a permanent trust fund; the measure passed after multiple amendments.
The Utah House on Feb. 29 approved a third substitute to Senate Bill 15 that lays out how the state will use proceeds from the national tobacco settlement. Lawmakers traded sharp arguments on whether to prioritize immediate prevention and cessation programs or to protect funds in a permanent trust.
Representative Alexander and others framed the substitute as a cautious approach that both funds near-term priorities and creates a permanent trust so the state preserves an ongoing revenue stream should settlement receipts or federal offsets change. Opponents and public-health advocates urged significantly higher near-term funding for prevention: speakers cited Centers for Disease Control guidance that recommended roughly $15.3 million for Utah to have an effective statewide prevention program and urged not to let the settlement “go up in smoke.”
On the floor, Representative Bernd and Representative Morgan pushed amendments to increase new money for prevention to $6.5 million; other members moved substitutions to shift dollars among cessation, drug courts, research and trust balances. Representative Curtis argued that the adopted floor amendment structure still delivered substantial investments in prevention and placed a portion in a permanent endowment.
Floor votes cut off extended debate by adopting the previous-question motions and then approved a package of amendments that reallocated funds (recorded on the floor). After division votes and substitution, the third substitute passed the House by roll call.
Outcome and next steps: the substituted SB15 will be sent to the Senate for further action. The debate left clear differences over the scale of prevention funding versus the desire to create a trust to support long-term spending; sponsors said the House plan aims to balance short-term intervention with long-term fiscal prudence.
