House Speaker Wants Tobacco-Budget Arrangement To Be One Time Deal

State lawmakers went along with Governor Bob Holden and allocated $127-million in tobacco settlement money to shore up the current state budget. And, the Governor has promised he will not use tobacco money again to bail out the budget. House Speaker Jim Kreider wants to hold the Governor to that pledge. He says the House will move soon to ensure tobacco funds no longer get diverted. Some critics say the Legislature has already set a dangerous precedent by dipping into the tobacco funds this time. Kreider initially opposed the idea, but changed his mind when the Republican-controlled Senate went along with the Governor’s proposal.