Gov. Beebe's Tobacco Tax Plan May Help Education

In the Friday, Jan. 23 Legislative Alert, we encouraged you to support HB 1204, Gov. Mike Beebe's cigarette and tobacco tax plan. Again, we ask you to contact your legislators and ask them to vote for this bill.

HB 1204, sponsored by Rep. Greg Reep and 34 other sponsors, would increase the cigarette tax by 56 cents a pack. It would remove the 32 percent excise tax from moist snuff and replace it with a weight-based tax. It would also increase the tax on chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigars by 19 percent.

These taxes would raise an estimated $88 million a year to fund a statewide trauma system and additional health care programs. These programs would include:
· 2-3 Level I trauma centers
· 7-11 Level II trauma centers
· 8-12 Level III trauma centers
· Numerous Level IV trauma centers
· Home health care for seniors
· Community health centers
· Prevention and treatment for a wide range of diseases
· Adult dental care
· Drug and alcohol treatment for pregnant women and children
· Coordinated school health
· Expanded free flu shots statewide
· Expanded health insurance coverage for children through ARKids First
· Expanded health insurance for small businesses through AR HealthNetworks
· Ongoing support for a new medical school in northwest Arkansas
· Support for first responder equipment and training

For more information about this bill, go to http://www.healthyarkansas.com/healthcare_initiatives/index.html

You can help this bill become law by contacting your state representative and asking him or her to support the bill. To find your representative go to, http://capwiz.com/nea/ar/state/main/?state=AR or go to the AEA Web site at http://www.aeaonline.org Click on "Legislation and Political Action."
Then click on "Welcome to the 2009 AEA Legislative Action Center."  This will take you to an interactive site that allows you to find your representative and e-mail him or her directly.

According to an article in the Saturday, Jan. 31 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, House Speaker Robbie Wills believes that if HB 1204 passes, about $25 million will become available that could be used to provide funding for public school employees' health insurance, as well. According to the Bureau of Legislative Research, it would take $25 million to ensure that the teachers' contributions to the health insurance premium remain at its current level - $180.36 a month for the employee-only plan and $773 a month for the employee-family plan. These costs are scheduled to increase to $228 and $890, respectively, next year, if additional funds are not found.

Legislative Alerts are post on the website at  http://www.aeaonline.org/political_action/alert.asp