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Senate advances tobacco-fund accountability bill after debate over distribution and limits
Summary
The Senate approved Substitute House Bill 293 with amendments to coordinate with Senate Bill 15 and require Department of Health administration and annual reporting; debate centered on accountability, possible limits on suing tobacco companies and whether the requirements create excess red tape.
Substitute House Bill 293, governing how proceeds from tobacco settlements may be applied, advanced in the Senate after sponsors accepted technical amendments and after substantive floor debate over the bill's accountability provisions and limitations on use.
Senator Mansell, speaking for the bill, said the measure does not change how funds are distributed but establishes how entities apply for the money and the oversight required. "This is accountability. This is really an accountability bill," he said, explaining the Department of Health would administer the funds, require applicants to demonstrate sound management, and report annually to the Legislature, including cessation rates and spending levels.
Opponents raised concerns the bill could create excessive reporting requirements and might be unduly favorable to tobacco companies because it forbids use of these particular funds to finance litigation against tobacco manufacturers. Senator Allen said he was "against this bill" in part because he thought it was "very friendly to the tobacco companies" and questioned whether the Legislature should preclude using settlement funds to pursue further legal action. Mansell replied the state retains other options to sue tobacco companies, but those actions would not be paid from the Department of Health allocation created by this bill.
Senators also adopted a technical amendment to insert the word "reduction" after "prevention" in the prevention-related language and included a coordination clause with Senate Bill 15. The body then called the question; the clerk reported 25 aye votes, 3 nays and 1 absence, and the bill was placed on the third-reading calendar.
The floor debate focused on accountability and reporting (annual legislative reporting by October was specified) and on ensuring the funding supports prevention and cessation programs rather than litigation or political activity. Sponsor statements emphasized the bill's intent to make fund allocation transparent and measurable.
