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Push To Loosen Restriction
Jan
t.
n
On Tobacco Settlement
04 Money Continues In State
2018 o by Catherine Sweeney
The Journal Record
e.
Page OKLAHOMA CITY – As threats to Medicaid and other health
0009 n services linger, conservative lawmakers and politicos continue their
push to loosen restrictions on tobacco settlement money.
Clip y After most of the 50 states settled lawsuits against some of the
resized tobacco industry’s biggest players, the companies agreed to make
49%
n annual payments to the states as long as cigarettes were sold. The
figures are based on national cigarette sales. After the companies
settled their lawsuits, some states took out hundreds of millions in
bonds and implemented payback plans with the annual settlement
money. Others created savings accounts statutorily, which allowed
legislatures to come in and reappropriate the money during hard times.
In 2000, Oklahoma approved a state question creating a consti-
tutional amendment that protects the funding. Most goes into the
Tobacco Endowment Settlement Trust, which is also known as TSET.
Officials can use the principal only to invest, and they use the earnings
on health-related programs.
The fund holds about $1 billion now, and officials use the interest to
- pay for programming such as campaigns to end smoking or discourage
r sugary drink consumption. Agency officials said the money is used
e for preventive measures so that Oklahoma can spend less on medical
A care down the road, but some have advocated broadening the agency’s
e scope to allow it to use its money for immediate medical services.
y That has become more popular as programs such as Medicaid
s have faced funding problems. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority
f manages that program, which uses state and federal funding to provide
medical coverage to low-income residents.
Lawmakers appropriated $70 million in projected money from the
cigarette fee they created this year to the authority. When that fee failed
y an Oklahoma Supreme Court challenge, the money disappeared and
s created a budget gap. Continued special legislative sessions have kept
. the agency afloat for most of the fiscal year, but legislators will still
l need to find funding for the agency’s last two months of operation.
e State Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Coalgate, sponsored two pieces of
f legislation that would allow state officials to tap TSET money for
- Medicaid and other medical services. A Senate joint resolution would
h put the issue on a statewide ballot, which would be required to change
d constitutional laws. Senate Bill 3 would adapt the statutory provisions
l regarding TSET.
Commenters on both sides of the argument say that TSET officials
- can give money to medical programs already. In November, the gov-
m erning board voted to give the Department of Human Services and the
s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services about
- $3 million to help with senior nutrition services and mobile mental
t health crisis response teams.
- TSET supporters often say the constitutional provisions protect the
e money from lawmakers, who might not use the money responsibly.
d Drew Edmondson is a gubernatorial candidate, and he was the Okla-
g homa attorney general who helped organize TSET. He said giving the
m Legislature authority over that money would be a mistake.
s “Oklahomans wisely voted to protect the tobacco settlement funds
t and keep those dollars out of the legislature’s appropriation process,”
h he wrote in an email. “Even a cursory look at our state’s current budget
g situation provides plenty of evidence to support that choice.”
e Trent England is the executive vice president of the Oklahoma
r Council of Public Affairs, a conservative policy organization that
s has advised changing TSET. He said the American political process
hinges on allowing the legislative branch to build budgets.
e “People don’t like the Legislature, but they can kick out their leg-
d islators,” he said. “There are no elections for the people who manage
g TSET funds. It’s important to understand TSET has almost unlimited
k discretion today over how they spend that money.”
a He said this bill is a step in the right direction, but the agency
e should be reformed from the ground up.
-
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
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Jan 2018 Page resized
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Altus Times
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the Oklahoma Corpora- deq.state.ok.us under the “I think people know
tion Commission says he “Environmental Educa- my advocacy,” Johnson
supports cutting rates
charged by five public
tion” column.
The choices include
said. “I am not ashamed
for advocating for a policy
The
utilities in the state to the state bird, the scissor- change on this.”
prevent windfall profits tailed flycatcher, flying Placing the measure
that he says would result over the western plains; on the primary ballot
due to lower federal cor- a grazing buffalo and a instead of the November
porate tax rates. vivid sunset over a field general election, where
Commissioner Bob An- of flowers. voter turnout is typically
thony said in a statement Each specialty plate higher, is concerning,
Oklahoma
Jan
09
gubernatorial
2018 field weighs
Page
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Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
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