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DHHR chief defends RAZE funding as House looks for areas to cut budget

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Karen Bowling defended funding for the youth anti-tobacco program RAZE during a meeting Tuesday morning of the House of Delegates Finance Committee.

State lawmakers are in special session trying to fill multi-million dollar revenue holes in the current state budget and next fiscal year’s spending plan. The finance committee is exploring various accounts including those in DHHR.

State DHHR Secretary Karen Bowling told committee members Tuesday RAZE has been cut enough.
State DHHR Secretary Karen Bowling told committee members Tuesday RAZE has been cut enough.

The $3 million for RAZE is producing results, Bowling said.

“It’s the only area where we’ve been able to reduce the use of tobacco is in youth, in children and young adults. We feel very strongly that program has been cut enough,” Bowling said citing cuts to RAZE in previous budgets.

House Finance Committee Vice-Chair Eric Householder (R-Berkeley) said raising the tobacco tax is expected to deter use and may essentially do what RAZE is doing.

“Maybe that money (for RAZE) might not, per se, be needed if our youth aren’t able to afford (tobacco products). That’s the whole idea,” Householder said.

But Bowling countered she would be afraid to take away a program that has had a great benefit to the state.

“These kids really need to hang on to this to make sure that they don’t use tobacco. I would strongly suggest that we continue to fund the amount we have in that account,” she said.

Bowling told committee members funding needs to stay in RAZE and the Tobacco Quit Line. She said other adult smoking cessation programs aren’t producing results.





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