On Tuesday, June 10th, The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids released the findings of a public opinion poll showing the broad support by West Virginia voters for increasing the tobacco tax by $1.00.
Here is video from the press conference featuring Hersha Arnold-Brown of the American Cancer Society, Chuck Hamsher of the American Heart Association, Pete Fisher from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and Nathan Henry from the Mellman Group who conducted the poll.
Finance Committees in both the House and the Senate have passed out budget bills for FY2011 and there is good news - and bad news - in the proposals for tobacco control.
The House version of the budget restored funding to the tobacco prevention line item to the same level as FY2010 - $5,667,111 - eliminating the 11.5% cuts proposed by Governor Manchin.
However, the Senate kept the cuts advocated by Governor Manchin in his budget proposal and the Senate’s bill would only fund tobacco prevention efforts at $5,010,793.
Over the next few days the two chambers will go about the procedural requirements of appointing budget conferees who will work on hammering out differences between the two versions of the budget bill. Conferees will meet into next week during the extended budget session and, once their work is complete, the full legislature must pass the compromise budget bill to send it to the Governor.
Please contact your House and Senate members requesting that they support the funding of tobacco prevention efforts at NO LESS THAN the FY2010 level .
The West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention (DTP) has begun notifying program grantees around the state of cuts in program funding which will occur in the wake of the budget cut proposed by Governor Manchin to the tobacco education and prevention line item and currently under consideration by the legislature .
According to an email sent to DTP grant subrecipients on Monday “…the Division of Tobacco Prevention is looking at a significant reduction for SFY11 of our State tobacco education and prevention program funding. We also will not have the available the planned carry over funds that we have enjoyed in the past few years.
” These factors, plus other potential, anticipated reductions in available tobacco prevention funding will cause at minimum a projected 30 percent reduction (as of today) in DTP funding from this to next state fiscal year.”
This reduction in program grants is significantly higher that the 11.5% overall cut proposed by the Administration and, from the programs known to have been notified yesterday, some projects will be completely eliminated.
This underscores the need to continue to ask legislators to reject the reduction in the tobacco education and prevention funding level as proposed by Governor Manchin. Contact your House of Delegate and Senate members immediately and ask that they restore the tobacco prevention funding to at least the FY2010 level.
Also, call Governor Manchin at 1-888-438-2731 and ask him to stop the cuts to existing tobacco prevention, education and cessation programs!
The Coalition for a Tobacco Free West Virginia has asked the Department of Health and Human Resources for clarification of these proposed cuts and if some of the reductions in grants comes from a change in direction or utilization of tobacco prevention funds.
The budget proposed by Governor Manchin and currently under consideration by the West Virginia Legislature would reduce tobacco prevention and education funding by $656,318 or a whopping 11.5%!
A cut of this magnitude can only result in a reduction of tobacco prevention programming in the state. While these are indeed tough budget times, it makes no sense to cut a program that is saving lives and healthcare dollars. Currently West Virginians pay $690 million annually in health care costs directly caused by smoking. That is a severe burden on the state’s economy, which will only get worse if the state cuts funding for programs proven to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.
Even before this latest proposal, West Virginia was falling short in funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs. West Virginia this year is spending $6.9 million on these programs – $5.7 million in state funds and a $1.2 million federal grant. This total is less than a quarter of the $27.8 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Governor Manchin has proposed cutting funding by $656,318.
These resources are critical to reducing tobacco’s devastating toll in West Virginia. West Virginia currently has the highest adult smoking rate in the nation at 26.6 percent. In addition, 27.6 percent of high school students smoke, and 2,400 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco use claims 3,800 lives in West Virginia.
This cut is currently under consideration of the House and Senate Finance Committees and they need to hear from tobacco control advocates loud and clear that these cuts are short-sighted and will only serve to weaken West Virginia’s already insufficient tobacco prevention efforts.
Governor Manchin’s budget proposal to the West Virginia Legislature contains current level funding for tobacco prevention and education programming of $5,687,358. The budget was presented in last night’s State of the State address.
While encouraging that this important area of public health funding is remaining stable in the Governor’s proposed budget it falls very short of the $27.8 million recommended by the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention in Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs—2007. West Virginia has made great strides in tobacco control, with very limited resources, but an investment closer to CDC’s recommended funding level would enable statewide implementation of the full range and scope of prevention, education, cessation and enforcement programs which have been proven effective.
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