Smokin’ The Bipartisan Peace Pipe

A bipartisan proposal to spend the billions of dollars coming to the state from the national tobacco settlement has been filed in the Missouri House. The bill takes the tobacco issue to a vote of the people. Voters would accept or reject a proposal to place the first 125 million dollars of settlement proceeds as a down payment for a 1 billion dollar endowment. 55 percent of the money would be spent for health care, 20 percent on life sciences, 15 percent on anti-smoking, and 10 percent on early childhood care.