Amendment #4

Official Title:
Protect People, Especially Youth, From Addiction, Disease and Other Health Hazards of Using Tobacco.
 

Click here for a PDF version.
 
Official Ballot Summary: (Click here for a PDF of the full text.)
To protect people, especially youth, from addiction, disease, and other health hazards of using tobacco, the Legislature shall use some Tobacco Settlement money annually for a comprehensive statewide tobacco education and prevention program using Centers for Disease Control best practices. Specifies some program components, emphasizing youth, requiring one-third of total annual funding for advertising. Annual funding is 15% of 2005 Tobacco Settlement payments to Florida, adjusted annually for inflation. Provides definitions. Effective immediately.
 
Amendment Type:
Initiative by Petition
 
Sponsor:
Floridians for Youth Tobacco Education, Inc.
P. O. Box 18286
Tampa, FL 33679-0000
813.875.8615
 
Known Proponents:
• American Cancer Society, Florida Division
• American Heart Association, Florida/Puerto Rico Affiliate
• American Lung Association of Florida
• Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
• Florida Academy of Family Physicians
• Florida Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity
• Florida C.H.A.I.N.
• Florida Today
• Florida Young Democrats
• Florida State Conference NAACP
• GASP of Florida
• GFWAC North Pinellas Women’s Club, Inc.
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• Bill McCollum, Attorney General Candidate
• National Hispanic Medical Association
• National Latino Council on Alcohol & Tobacco Prevention
• Pasco County Commissioner Pat Mulieri
• Representative Anne Gannon
• St. Lucie Medical Center
• Santa Rosa County School Board
• Senator Burt Saunders
• Alex Sink, Chief Financial Officer Candidate
• Smoke-Free Jacksonville
• UMSylvester, University of Miami
• We Care Jacksonville, Inc.
• Volusia County Medical Society

For a complete list of "Yes on 4" proponents, please visit www.keepkidssmokefree.org.
 

Known Opponents:
Unknown
 
Were Paid Signature Gatherers Used to Place This on the Ballot?
Yes, more than $1 million was spent with California-based PCI Consultants to pay professionals to collect signatures.
 
Top Contributors:

• $1.5 Million - American Cancer Society, Florida Division
   (Public Health, Tampa, FL)

• $495,000 - American Heart Association
  (Public Health, Dallas, TX)

• $175,000 - American Lung Association of Florida
  (Public Health, Tallahassee, FL)
 

Arguments:
FOR
In Florida, nearly 29,000 deaths are attributable to tobacco use annually, and the threat of tobacco is greatest among youth. Florida receives more than $360 million annually from the tobacco settlement, yet only $1 million is used to educate Florida’s youth about the dangers of tobacco use. Factoring in inflation and increased cost of advertising, $57 million appears to be both reasonable and fiscally responsible.
AGAINST
Everyone agrees kids should not smoke. However, the $57 million a year will be coming out of our state’s general revenue budget, which means less money for schools and roads. Technically, this proposed amendment could be achieved through the legislature instead of the Constitution.
 
What Your Vote Means:
YES
If approved by voters, Amendment #4 would require that 15% ($57 million) of the 2005 tobacco settlement payments to Florida would fund a statewide tobacco education and prevention program.
NO
If Amendment #4 is not approved by voters, Florida would continue to receive allocations as set by the Legislature and approved by the Governor. Current allocations are set at 1% of the tobacco settlement money.
 
Official Financial Impact Statement to Appear on the Ballot:

This amendment requires state government to appropriate approximately $57 million in 2007 for the comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Education and Prevention Program. Thereafter, this amount will increase annually with inflation. This spending is expected to reduce tobacco consumption. As a result, some long-term savings to state and local government health and insurance programs are probable, but indeterminate. Also, minor revenue loss to state government is probable, but indeterminate.

 
Additional Financial Effects Based on the Financial Impact Estimating Conference's Research & Public Workshops:
  • Education, prevention and enforcement costs will increase. The state will be required to appropriate approximately $57 million from Tobacco Settlement funds in 2007, which will be adjusted annually for inflation. Because the Tobacco Settlement funds are currently fully obligated, the requirement to spend these dollars on the specified programs will result in reductions to existing programs or the replacement of those dollars with $57 million of other state funds.
     
  • Some long-term savings to state and local government health and insurance programs is probable. The Comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Education and Prevention Program is expected to reduce tobacco consumption. Because of this, state and local governments that offer health and insurance programs will probably experience some long-term savings. However, the savings resulting from the prevention program are indeterminate. Many factors besides the prevention program contribute to the decline of tobacco use. In addition, the number of persons, particularly youth, who will stop using tobacco, for how long they will stop, or who will never use tobacco is unknown.
     
  • Minor loss of revenue to the state is probable, but is indeterminate. Revenue to the state from the Tobacco Settlement payments and from the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Taxes are dependent in part on tobacco sales. The statewide campaign proposed by the constitutional amendment is expected to reduce consumption by some unknown amount. Many other factors may also contribute to the decline of tobacco use, including affected opinions about tobacco companies following the multi-state settlements, increasing cost of cigarettes, increasing tax rates on tobacco products, and the implementation of smoking regulations in public places. Consequently, minor loss of revenue is probable, but the amount attributable to the prevention program cannot be determined.
 
 

  

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