Smoke tax for health possible
From our weekly issue dated March 26, 2008
Raising cigarette taxes to fund health care for children is among plans Gov. Kulongoski proposed last week during his sixth annual State-of-the-State address.
It also includes an ambitious plan to invest in Oregon’s greatest assets: its people and a shared confidence that Oregon will be a national leader in innovation and sustainability.
“I offer a vision for Oregon's future that is not just about where we’re going: it’s also about who we are as a people,” said the governor. “I believe Oregon is on the right track. We can show the nation that it is possible to have prosperity and livability.”
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He noted that the fiscally responsible choice made last year to create a rainy day fund is the reason why Oregon is standing firm in the current economic dip and why Oregon stands ready to invest new funding in education, health care, transportation and sustainable development. He also committed to growing the rainy day fund to further secure Oregon’s economic future.
“For the first time in decades,” he said, “we have financial stability and integrity. And with these resources we can answer the Oregon Challenge: to become the best by investing in our future and compete with any state, at any time, in any marketplace.”
On education, the governor began by saying, “If you want to know what the state of our state will be in five, 10 or even 20 years down the road, tell me what the state of our commitment to education is right now. This will make all the difference.”
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He is committed to building upon the reinvestments in education made during the past few years. This is so that Oregon’s youngest students are ready for school; class size is reduced; teachers have access to proven professional development and training programs; college is within reach for more families; and career and technical schools are ready to train workers for emerging industries, such as clean technologies and renewable energy.
To once again show his gratitude to those who serve in the National Guard, the governor is working to create an Oregon GI bill; a stipend
program to cover the associated costs of a college education, such as books and child care. The Oregon GI bill would build upon a tuition waiver program already in place.
The state of Oregon covers the difference in what National Guard members earn in federal financial aid and the cost of tuition at an Oregon university or community college.
The governor believes that successful health-care reform is a step-by-step process that expands coverage, controls costs and improves quality.
“Health care costs too much, covers too few and leaves our businesses at a competitive disadvantage,” the governor said. “And if all this weren’t bad enough, health care has turned a core American value on its head: ‘We the People’ is now ‘We the People with insurance’ vs. ‘You the People without insurance’.”
The first step will be to expand health-care coverage to children. The governor is to fight the tobacco companies again and propose a revised plan to cover all children currently eligible for the Oregon Health Plan and a tobacco tax to help working families who cannot afford coverage. He also has a plan to increase access to the Oregon Health Plan by simplifying the application process and extending the eligibility period, two changes that will reduce costs to the state.
The governor’s transportation initiative will not just invest in roads and bridges; it will be “larger, greener, safer and more strategic than anything done before. It will be a comprehensive plan that will give consumers choices they can feel good about by investing in alternative fuels for cars and trucks and alternative modes of transportation, such as light rail.”
The governor has an aggressive plan to combat global warming by taking advantage of the economic opportunities it presents. Innovative, sustainable practices should be adopted across all industries. These new ways of doing things will create new businesses and jobs, he said, noting:
“By marketing Oregon's way of doing business, we can attract new companies in wind, wave, geothermal, and solar. In fact, Oregon is on the cusp to becoming the largest producer of photovoltaic solar cells in the nation, and ready to outdistance every other state in the development of renewable energy.”
The plan will put Oregon on track to reduce its greenhouse gas levels to 10 percent less than 1990 levels by 2020. It will also make key investments in a cap-and-trade system, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, a clean-tech workforce and a secure a clean, stable water supply.
