Partnership Says It Has Enough Money To Operate For Five Months
Terry the purple cartoon rat will still go on TV and tell young children to “reject all tobacco,” but the message won’t be broadcast as often. Meanwhile, anti-smoking efforts are fading away from Mississippi college campuses.
Leaders of The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi say the tobacco-fighting group has enough money in reserves to operate for about five months – but only if it scales back some of its programs and eliminates others.
“This is too good. It’s done too much good. It will not die,” former Attorney General Mike Moore, the Partnership’s chairman, said Thursday. “It may get recreated in some form or fashion. There may be some change here or there. But comprehensive tobacco prevention programs are here to stay in Mississippi.”
A judge’s ruling this week cast doubt on the future of the Partnership, a private, nonprofit group created after Mississippi settled its massive lawsuit against tobacco companies in 1997. The settlement is bringing Mississippi about $4 billion over 25 years.
Under a separate deal reached in 1998, cigarette companies gave Mississippi $62 million to create a two-year anti-smoking program aimed at young people. That’s how the Partnership was born.
When the $62 million ran out, Democrat Moore persuaded Jackson County Chancery Judge Jaye Bradley to sign a court order directing part of Mississippi’s annual lawsuit settlement payment to the Partnership.
Mississippians elected Republican Haley Barbour as governor in 2003, and he sued last year to challenge the $20 million a year that goes to the Partnership. Barbour – a former tobacco lobbyist – has praised the Partnership’s work but says lawmakers, not a court, should decide how public money is spent.
This week, Bradley reversed her earlier court order, agreeing with Barbour’s position. Bradley cited the disagreement between the current governor and legislative leaders about how the anti-smoking group should be funded.
The Partnership has filed a notice with the Mississippi Supreme Court that it intends to appeal Bradley’s latest ruling.
Moore said there are other options to try to keep the group alive. He said the Partnership can ask legislators to fund the program. Or, Partnership supporters could gather thousands of signatures on petitions to put the issue before Mississippi voters in the November 2007 elections.
Earlier this year, lawmakers voted to send the Partnership’s $20 million through the regular state budget process. Barbour vetoed the bill, and no attempt was made to override the veto because Senate leaders didn’t have the required two-thirds majority.
In February, Barbour proposed putting the $20 million into what he called his “Healthy Kids” initiative. Barbour said $5 million could be used to expand a school nurse program; $5 million could go to cancer research, screening, education and treatment; $5 million could be used to maintain anti-tobacco education and advertising; and $5 million could increase the state’s effort to fight illegal drugs.
With the Partnership’s funding in limbo, Barbour said this week: “Now we should refocus our efforts on a constitutional and comprehensive approach to fighting youth smoking and drug use, such as the ‘Healthy Kids’ initiative.”
House Public Health Committee Chairman Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, attended the Partnership’s board meeting on Thursday. He said he’ll try to arrange a meeting in the next two weeks between Barbour and select lawmakers to discuss the future of anti-tobacco programs.
Holland, who supports the Partnership, said he wants to hear Barbour’s ideas.
“I’m willing to compromise,” Holland said. “But I’m not willing to be dictated to.”
