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Politics » Voter Information

Oregon 2007 Ballot Measure 50

Last Modified: 03/27/10
First Published: 10/12/07
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Comments: 4 Views: 3965

Corvallistidbits will now deal with Measure 50 on the 2007 Oregon Ballot

The following is unedited directly from the 2007 Oregon Voters Pamphlet recently mailed to every voter.

Ballot Measure 50: Amends Constitution: Dedicates Funds to provide Healthcare for children, fund tobacco prevention, through increased Tobacco Tax.

Result of "yes" vote: "yes" vote dedicates funds to provide health care for children, low income adults and medically underserved Oregonians, and fund tobacco prevention programs, through increased tobacco tax.

Result of "no" vote: "no" vote rejects proposal to dedicate funding for childrens health care, other health care programs, and tobacco prevention programs; maintains tobacco tax at current level.

Summary: This measure increases the tobacco tax and dedicates the new revenue to providing health care for children, low income adults and other medically underserved Oregonians, and to funding tobacco prevention and education programs.The measure increases the tax on cigarettes by 84.5 cents per pack, and increases the tax on other tobacco products. The measure will fund the Healthy Kids Program created by the 2007 Legislature to provide affordable health care for uninsured children. The measure will fund tobacco prevention programs, safety net clinics, rural health care and health care for Oregon's lowest income families and individuals through the Oregon Health Plan. If the measure does not pass, these health care programs will not be expanded, and the Healthy Kids Program will not become law.

Estimate of Financial Impact: This measure increases State Revenue by an estimated $152.7 million for the 2007-2009 budget period. Revenue is estimated to increase $233.2 million in the following two year period. These estimates account for a projected decline in the sale of tobacco products because of higher prices. These estimates would be reduced if further restrictions on smoking become law. The additional State revenue generated by this measure would be available to allocate to programs that provide health care for children, low income adults and other medically vulnerable Oregonians, and to tobacco prevention programs.

The above is taken verbatim from the 2007 Oregon Voters Pamphlet

Corvallistidbits encourages each voter to thoroughly review and determine for themselves the efficacy of this measure. It is the position of corvallistidbits that this is a bad precedent amending the Constitution. What is left out of the Result of a "Yes" vote is that the Constitution will be amended. What is left out of the Result of a "no" vote is that the Constitution will not be amended. If this prevails and becomes law, what will be the next change to the Constitution?

Comments, opinions......................

 



Comments
Wed Oct 17, 2007 11:04 pm
Name: D77 Comment: "If this prevails and becomes law, what will be the next change to the Constitution?"

Hopefully another another program to give healthcare to children.
Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:30 pm
Name: Talon | Email: icenine86 attt hotmail dottt com Comment: The problem is that not once does it say how much of this new revenue will be given to the health care plans. How much to HMO? How much to alternate? How much to those who have no health care? what about them? Or how about this... How much of it goes nowhere? I’m all for Tobacco prevention in young adults and children, but this will not work. Cigarettes used to cost 50 cents a pack now they have more than become ten times the original sales price and people of all ages still smoke. This law is not for the benefit of tobacco prevention, or Oregon health care. This law is for the benefit of the states golden pockets. I vote NO on measure 50. Next time dedicate the money to the people more directly, and make it clear on where the money is going, and how it is being spent. This measure 50 is no better written then the last measure 50, or measure 47 in 1997. it is too vague, and too open for interpretation.
Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:50 am
Name: Apollo | Comment: Talon is right, not only is it vague on the dispersal but it is vague on exactly how the constitution will be amended. If you aren't careful with something like that you can leave the amendment too open ended causing alot of future strife. I would also like to note that they have been passing all of these things to divert funds into our education system for the last several years, and near as I can see that money is getting lost somewhere. I have several friends who are teachers at different levels at different schools and they aren't sure where all this money is going either. the point is these "help our children" measures sure sound nice, but in actuality the money seems to have a hard time actually getting to our children. I say we are doing fine as it is, I grew up as a poor child with no health care and i am currently a poor college student. there are more then enough programs to help kids in that situation if you are willing to go out and find them. It would be nice if we got better and more accessible health care but maybe we should wait for a measure where the health care part is more than just a side note tacked onto another unnecessary cigarette tax to make it look pretty.
Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:32 pm
Name: Sara Dalton | Email: sara_feavel attt yahoo dottt com | Url: myspace.com/sarita619| Comment: I think the whole measure is extremely contradictory of itself. They plan to fund the program with tobacco tax, but they also plan to use the money to help create tobacco prevention programs. So, if people stop smoking, what happens to the funding?
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