A coalition representing children’s and youth groups urges state lawmakers to invest in the future when it decides how to spend the billions from the national tobacco settlement. The “Invest in Missouri’s Children Campaign” is composed of 85 organizations. The group backs a bill filed in the Missouri House that would direct 40% of the fund to programs designed to develop healthy children, 10% would create a youth endowment with the rest going to overall health programs. The state at first estimated the settlement would reap $6.7 billion over 25 years. It has since lowered the estimate to around $4 billion.