Categories:
· Tobacco control
International:
· USA
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Source:http://www.keloland.com/,2010-04-09
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After four months of talking about cutting South Dakota's budget, lawmakers actually took action on it Tuesday. So far, South Dakota school districts and smoking prevention programs have taken the brunt of the cuts.
Schools were slated to get a 1.2 percent increase this year, which state law requires, but the funding didn't get cut without a fight.
"These dollars are promised to school districts per statute. We set a terrible precedent and terrible example as a legislature when we continually break those promises and create an atmosphere of distrust with our constituents," Senator Dan Ahlers of Dell Rapids said.
Legislators who didn't want to give districts the annual funding increase argued that the schools need to share in the state's cost cutting moves.
"We're not faced with closing schools. There are states that are closing schools, districts across the nation. So, the responsible thing to do at this time is to try and do as little damage as possible to our K-12 system while maintaining the spending within state government," Senator Jeff Haverly of Rapid City said.
But it wasn't just school districts that felt the pain Tuesday. Lawmakers cut the state's $5 million budget for tobacco prevention in half. It's a program supporters say has produced results.
"The percent of adult smokers in South Dakota is at an all-time low," Department of Health Secretary Doneen Hollingsworth said.
Lawmakers realize the program has been successful but say tough times require tough cuts.
"Are we shooting our foot on this particular one? Yeah, we are shooting ourselves in the foot but we're not shooting ourselves in the heart, and we'll have to go forward with some of these," Representative Tom Deadrick of Platte said.
The Joint Appropriations Committee is hoping to finish the budget late Tuesday night.
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