The Missouri House has passed the Senate version of the tobacco bill – with amendments. Senators and Representatives are of similar minds on how to spend the money from the national tobacco settlement. The House is saying “yes” to the Senate version, but now without a guarantee that money is used for health care, life sciences, smoking prevention, and smoking cessation. There is also a requirement for a referendum on future spending of the expected $4.5-billion. The bill now goes back to the Senate, which can either accept the bill with the changes or send it to a House-Senate conference to iron out the differences.
