Selling tobacco funds won’t fix anything

The following commentary was submitted by Russ Meyer, Jon Rolph, Barry Downing, Fred Berry, Steve Cox, Hale Ritchie:

The Children’s Initiative Fund was created to focus state funds on important children’s issues for the benefit of the most vulnerable in our state. The funding for these programs comes from the Master Tobacco Settlement funds.

Due to the state’s budget deficit, which is projected to be at about $900 million over the next 18 months, these funds are now at risk. The Legislature and governor have kicked the ball down the road hoping that the revenue gap would fix itself or somebody else would make the decisions needed to correct the problem.

Money has been taken from critical services to plug the hole.

One of the governor’s proposed fixes is to sell the future payments of the tobacco settlement for a one-time injection of cash. The “cashing out” of future tobacco funds attempts to plug a hole that creates more gaps for next year and the years after.

It’s insanity to think that fixes anything.

In fact, this type of quick-fix thinking does significant harm. Lost funds designated for our children’s future will never be replaced.

These aren’t just any funds. These are funds dedicated to children’s education and well-being. Are we willing to throw the children under the bus for many years for a temporary one-year plug of a financial hole?

The self-made budget crisis has compromised Kansas’ ability to meet the needs of young children.

It is time for legislators and the governor to establish a fair and stable tax structure to preserve the state’s early childhood infrastructure. We need commonsense tax reforms now.

By protecting the CIF, we will help preserve Kansas’ early childhood infrastructure that directly impacts thousands of children across the state, creating benefits in health, education and economic performance that will last a lifetime.

We hear from business peers in our community who want to do their part. Many of the LLCs would rather give back their tax breaks instead of watching the state self-destruct and lose vital services.

It’s time to grab the ball and act. We need a long-term fix.

Please let your legislators and the governor know that what they have done so far and what is proposed is not acceptable. We need all our voices to shout, “Don’t patch it; fix it,” and protect the tobacco settlement funds.

This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Selling tobacco funds won’t fix anything."