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Webinar: May 1, 2012 The 2012 Legislative Session: Reflections and Projections Lucy Culp, American Heart Association Vic Colman, Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. State Operating Budget: Background. November 2011: Governor’s Budget December 2011: Special Session: $500 million cuts
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Webinar: May 1, 2012 The 2012 Legislative Session: Reflections and Projections Lucy Culp, American Heart Association Vic Colman, Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition
State Operating Budget: Background • November 2011: Governor’s Budget • December 2011: Special Session: $500 million cuts • February 2012: Revenue forecast • April 2012: Final agreement in last hours of special session
Key Budget “Highlights” • $1.7 million for tobacco Quitline, covers the uninsured • No cuts to public health funding • Did not eliminate Disability Lifeline • Preserved the Basic Health Plan • $12 million in new revenue from “roll your own” tobacco
Key Budget “Highlights” cont. School nutrition funding was maintained The state legislature reduced funding for State Food Assistance (SFA) by half for the current biennium Dental care for vulnerable populations retained Transportation budget still unbalanced – too much for state highway improvements and not enough for other transportation modes Local taxes for public transit in 2010 accounts for ¾ of the operating revenue for public transit systems – not a sustainable solution Want more plain talk details on our transportation budget ?
Key Bills: Tobacco Prevention Cigar Licenses (HB 1683 and SB 5542) • Creates loophole in Initiative 901 • Licenses for cigar lounges and tobacco stores to allow non-cigarette smoking • Would allow 100 lounges and 500 stores 2011 Legislative Action: • Tied to tobacco prevention funding • Defeated in final hours of session 2012 Legislative Action: • New polling: 71 % oppose • Defeated again in the last hours of budget negotiating
Key Bills: Tobacco Prevention SB 6166: Tobacco Tax Increase • $1 increase in cigarettes, equivalent increase for all OTP’s • $40 million projected in new revenue, $1.7 million to reinstate Quitline for uninsured • 64% support, goes up to 71% when includes revenue dedicated to prevention or cessation • Needs a 2/3 vote to pass • May not be the best option for funding statewide TPCP
Key Bills: Tobacco Prevention HB 1246: Regulating Tobacco Products Introduced in 2011, retained but did not move in 2012 • Prohibited the sale of dissolvable tobacco products • Banned flavored tobacco products, that are blatantly marketed to youth. • Put all tobacco products behind the counter where they are not accessible to youth. • Lifted local regulatory preemption so that counties can put in place policies that would reduce accessibility and marketing aimed at youth.
Key Bills: Active Transportation HB 2370 (Billig): include health in the state transportation system policy goals. Transportation Choices Coalition as lead advocate group Great start on this 1st year bill Solid prime sponsor who is highly motivated to reintroduce next year Polling data on this topic demonstrated strong bipartisan support House Transportation Committee even had bipartisan support Challenges
Key Bills: Active Transportation HB 1217 (Ryu): Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bicycle Alliance as lead advocate group Terrific support on the House side but ran out of time on Senate floor Solid prime sponsor; committed to the issue for the future Broader outreach to health interests this session than the previous
Key Bills: Healthy Eating HB 1801 (Jinkins): Statewide Food Procurement COPC as lead advocacy group. Got further this year Worked policy language of bill and got sign-off by key state agencies Ran out of time to work fiscal issues DSHS assumed 25% higher costs for “healthy foods”!! Need to push fiscal responsibility – “power of the purse” (food umbrella contract) DOC had no fiscal costs Where do we go from here? DOH workgroup with affected state agencies>> will assess summer/fall about pushing out another bill
Reflections and Projections Olympia still a challenging venue for moving healthy communities policy work Active transportation seems like a better bet now than nutrition work. Why? Less threatening to personal lifestyles (more removed) Active transportation advocates more organized and better funded than nutrition types Will still need to work all sides of the issue to meet key policy goals but we need to overcome policymaker fatigue about nutrition standards metrics New Fed standards for school nutrition could be that opportunity
http://copcwa.org/ Phone: (206) 910-7643 Email us at: info@copcwa.org
http://copcwa.org/ Phone: (206) 834-8658 Email me at:lucy.culp@heart.org