WASHINGTON — A recent wave of state tobacco tax increases, designed to pump revenue into cash-strapped local governments, is inspiring an increasingly dangerous cigarette smuggling industry where big profits lure violent criminal gangs and drug traffickers into the booming illegal market, according to law enforcement officials and court records. Larry Penninger, acting director of the tobacco diversion unit of teh Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, F ... Jump to full article >>

BOISE — Legislative leadership expects to wrap up the session by mid-to-late next week, but Democrats say not so fast. Heavily outnumbered by GOP members in both the House and Senate, Idaho Democrats made it clear Tuesday, they want two more bills considered before going home. Leaders said if they’re not, House minority leaders say they intend to stall the session. The two bills the Democrats want to see in committee hearings invo ... Jump to full article >>

CHARLESTON — Smokers can relax and light up without fear of digging into their wallets to cough up an extra $1 per pack of cigarettes. An lack of interest from the House Finance Committee led to the demise of a proposed hike in the tobacco tax, leaving in the lurch an anticipated $60 million for cessation programs and money to treat addicts. A disappointed House Health and Human Resources Chairman Don Perdue, D-Wayne, lamented the demise of th ... Jump to full article >>

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Support among Idaho lawmakers for a proposed increase in the state’s tobacco tax could hinge on whether tribal retailers agree to impose the same tax on cigarettes sold at stores on reservations across the state. Lawmakers are preparing legislation that would raise the state tax on cigarettes by $1.25 per pack, one of only a few potential sources of new revenue being considered during the 2011 Legislature. The Lewisto ... Jump to full article >>

Cycling champ and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong said he’s backing a proposed tax on tobacco in California to fund research on cancer and tobacco-related illnesses. Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France winner, joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to urge support for the California Cancer Research Act that would increase taxes on cigarettes by $1 a pack to raise more than $500 million a year. All-Star Game is less costly Tickets for ... Jump to full article >>

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A bill to help the state pay long-term health insurance costs for retired workers faces an uncertain fate after the Senate Finance Committee voted the plan down Monday night. Lawmakers have been struggling for over a year to find a way for West Virginia to deal with the $8 billion in long-term retiree health care costs, known as “other post-employment benefits,” or OPEB. The Senate plan, spearheaded by Sen. ... Jump to full article >>

FORT HALL, Idaho — The state Legislature is considering raising its tax on cigarettes by $1.25 per pack, but some lawmakers are trying to extend the tax to reservations as well. The Sho-Ban tribe said the proposal came out of nowhere, and a state-enforced tax would hurt their local revenue. LeeAnn Avila works for the Fort Hall Health Education Department. Her boss, Rebecca Washikie, said that a state-enforced tobacco tax could potentially ... Jump to full article >>

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates’ version of legislation to increase state tobacco taxes advanced in the Health and Human Resources Committee on a 13-10 vote Tuesday — after committee members rebuffed an attempt to insert mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients into the bill. Legislation to require random drug testing of recipients of food stamps or money from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program ... Jump to full article >>

The state House and Senate health committees are considering bills that would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1, and a fight is already brewing over how to spend that new revenue. It’s not clear if there are enough votes in either chamber to pass the tax — especially in what’s now an election year — but lawmakers and lobbyists are eyeing how to spend the $120 million to $160 million a year the tax would bring. The pr ... Jump to full article >>

Last week the American Lung Association released a scathing report card for state tobacco prevention programs. It’s the sort of thing that most self-respecting students would hide from their parents: 40 states got an F; three more picked up a D. Texas is among the states relegated to the back of the class. The association gave Texas failing grades for tobacco prevention, smoke-free air and cessation programs. Its tobacco tax of $1.41 per p ... Jump to full article >>