By Sarah Green
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, March 21 A budget amendment earmarking additional dollars for tobacco prevention and cessation programs failed in the Senate on Tuesday.
“I think the message is clear, there”s no commitment in this Legislature for making prevention a priority,” Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia said after the amendment failed. “We need to be honest with ourselves, and the Legislature just isn”t.”
Barnett offered the amendment, which would direct new, additional funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between tobacco companies and states be spent on prevention and cessation.
Kansas is scheduled to receive an additional $15 to $16 million from the MSA distribution beginning in 2008. The Children”s Cabinet, an agency created to distribute the funds to state programs, has allocated $1 million each year in recent years for prevention and cessation. The remainder
about $49 million a year
is given to social and educational programs.
Barnett”s amendment failed on a voice vote while the Senate debated SB 357, an appropriations bill for 2008 and 2009.
Sen. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills, and a member of the Children”s Cabinet, spoke against the amendment.
“All MSA monies have gone through (the Children”s Cabinet), and I think they should continue to do so,” he said. “That”s not to say I”m against cessation programs.”
The Children”s Cabinet is in the process of reviewing each program it funds, Wysong said.
“There”s a system in place to do that,” he said. “The intent is not to fund programs that don”t work, which should free up other funds. I”m not looking to add programs, but I think we can make better use of what we have.”
Senate Bill 318 would have done the same as Barnett”s amendment. But it was referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee at turnaround. Barnett said it will likely remain there until next year”s session.
-Sarah Green is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. She can be reached at
sgreen@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 118.