Playing Politics with Kids
From the Senate Democratic Caucus: With the Senate Finance Committee scheduling debate on Governor Phil Bredesen’s Schools First Initiative Tuesday at 8:30am, there are a lot of reasons for Tennesseans, and not just for education proponents, to keep an eye on whether their Senators still support a cigarette tax or if they’re playing politics with our children’s future.
Currently, Tennessee has the 45th lowest education funding nationally and the third lowest cigarette tax nationally. The Schools First Initiative was proposed by Governor Bredesen in his inaugural speech this year and is an attempt to correct that inequality by providing approximately $220 million to public schooling in Tennessee.
The cigarette tax is not new to the Tennessee General Assembly. Nine members of the Senate Finance Committee have sponsored prior legislation to increase the tax or voted in favor of legislation to increase the tax. And tomorrow, they will be voting again on whether they should increase the cigarette tax to improve Tennessee’s funding for public education for our children. Of the current members of the Tax Committee who previously signed on to the cigarette tax, are Senator Diane Black, R-Gallatin, Senator Mark Norris, R-Collierville, Senator Tim Burchett, R- Knoxville, Senator Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, Senator Jim Kyle, D- Memphis, Senator Rosalind Kurita, D-Clarksville, Senator Doug Henry, D-Nashville, Senator Joe Haynes, D-Goodlettsville, and Senator John Wilder, D-Mason.
Here is a brief history of the cigarette tax:
* In 2005, Sen. Rosalind Kurita (SB0013/HB0690) sponsored a bill to increase the cigarette tax by 40 cents to 60 cents per pack. The bill died in Senate Finance by an official vote of 4-3-3. Sens. Tim Burchett, Jim Kyle, and Douglas Henry voted for it. Sens. Joe Haynes and Randy McNally abstained.
* On 02/17/2005, Sen. Mark Norris/Rep. ‘Butch’ Borchert introduced HB1944/SB2100, which would have increased the cigarette tax by 20 cents per pack. The first $30 million collected would have gone to tobacco farmers in amounts similar to what they would have received from the master settlement agreement. All revenue in excess of $30 million would have gone into the general fund. Rolled in House Agriculture Committee, no action taken. Did not move in the Senate.
* In 2003, Kurita and Rep. Diane Black proposed increasing the cigarette tax to 60 cents per pack (HB1647/SB1173). On Tuesday, May 13, 2003, Kurita withdrew the Senate bill, citing opposition on the Finance Committee.
* “Ups and downs of legislative session,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, 06/07/2003: “. . . the Legislature declined to pass an increase in the cigarette tax. Sen. Rosalind Kurita gave up the attempt to raise the tax, telling colleagues their opposition cost the state much-needed revenue and a chance to curb smoking and enhance health. The bill didn’t even get out of the Senate Finance Committee.”
* “Tobacco tax hike urged,” Chattanooga Times Free Press, 10/21/2003: “Sen. Rosalind Kurita, D-Clarksville, has sponsored two failed bills that would have raised the tax on cigarettes. She said she will reintroduce the bill in the 2004 legislative session. Sen. Kurita said the goal is to prevent teenagers from smoking. ‘Research shows us that increasing the tax on cigarettes will have the direct effect of decreasing the number of children and young people who begin to smoke,’ said Sen. Kurita, a registered nurse. ‘Increasing the tax on cigarettes will also have the long-term effect of saving money on health care for Tennesseans.’ Sen. Kurita’s bill seeks to raise the cigarette tax to the national average.”
* In 2002, Kurita tried to raise the cigarette tax by 30 cents per pack, increasing it to a total of 43 cents (SB2136/HB2876). Black signed on to this bill as a co-sponsor. Voted down in Senate Finance on March 12, 2002. Burchett, Haynes, and Henry voted for the tobacco tax increase. Kyle abstained. (“Senate Panel Rejects 30-Cent Hike in Tenn. Cigarette Tax, Commercial Appeal, 05/13/2002).
* Burchett, Haynes, Henry, and John Wilder voted to increase wholesale tax on cigarettes by seven cents per pack and increase wholesale taxes on other tobacco products and alcohol by 10 percent on July 3, 2002. This was the final compromise tax bill of 2002, ending a government shutdown. Passed the House 50-41 and the Senate 22-11. (Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey voted in favor.)
• On June 20, 2002, McNally proposed an amendment to SB3135 that would have increased the cigarette tax from “six and one-half (6 ½) mills” to “twenty-one and one-half (21 ½) mills” (Amendment #10 to SB3135). The Senate Journal reports that, after a motion of previous question on the amendment prevailed by a vote of 25-4, “On motion, Amendment No. 10 failed.” No vote is recorded. The Tennessean reports, “McNally, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, wants to use the new tax to deflect education cuts” (“Stopgap budgets in mix,” 06/20/2002). SB3135, which authorized the transfer of reserve funds to the General Fund, passed 26-5 on 06/20/2002.
* On July 9, 2001, the House voted on a proposal by Representative Gary Odom to triple the state’s cigarette tax (a 26-cent increase, at the time). This was offered as an amendment to HB1781. The amendment failed by a vote of 28-59. The Associated Press reports that Black was one of only eight House Republicans to vote for the amendment (which includes current members Bill Dunn and Beth Harwell).
03/26/2007
