Advocates, I finally have some good news to report!
The Senate passed its Health & Human Services appropriations bill yesterday, which includes $5.3 million for tobacco prevention and cessation programs compared to $0 in the House bill and $2.8 million this year. It also includes $350,000 for additional funds for Quitline for this year to address an anticipated shortfall of $450,000 due to increased call volume.
We are thrilled with this development. The Senate took to heart the mountains of scientific data that showed these services are effective. If Iowa plans to be the healthiest state in the nation, these services will be a key component of achieving that goal.
The bill now goes to the House, and it is expected that it will end up in conference committee to work out the many differences between the chambers. We will continue to work with legislative leaders and the Governor to ensure the tobacco prevention and cessation programs are funded and effective.
Also, our K-12 tobacco-nicotine-free schools bill has been incorporated into the Senate education reform bill, which also passed this week. The bill now goes to the House, and is also expected to end up in a conference committee to work out the many differences between the Senate and the House.
Stay tuned for future action alerts on these issues and others as the Legislature wraps up the 2012 session in the next few weeks, and as always, feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns - peggy.huppert@cancer.org.
