The authors will present Minnesota's strategy to be responsive to the State Legislature regarding the use of tobacco settlement funds. In 1999, the Legislature set aside a portion of the tobacco settlement in a health related endowment and directed that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) administer the endowment, spending up to five percent of the annual fair market value to reduce the human and economic consequences of tobacco use and other high-risk behaviors among youth. To achieve this goal, MDH created two aggressive and comprehensive efforts: the Youth Risk Behavior (YRB) Endowment and the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Prevention Initiative (MYTPI). The YRB program seeks to reduce youth risk behaviors (other than tobacco use) that contribute most to poor health during adolescence and throughout life. The MYTPI seeks to empower youth to be tobacco free; create a statewide environment where tobacco use is viewed as undesirable, unacceptable, and inaccessible for young people; and reduce youth tobacco use by 30% by the year 2005.
The 2001 Report to the Legislature on the Tobacco Use Prevention and Local Public Health Endowment details MDH's efforts to reduce high-risk behaviors among teens and reduce teen smoking. The report documents the program design and resulting grantees and grant activities. In addition to the report, MDH utilized an issue-team strategy to proactively prepare for the 2001 legislative session. Issue teams were organized around a core team responsible for reporting to the legislature. Fact sheets and a contact tree were developed to expedite response to legislative inquiries.
See www.health.state.mn.us/divs/opa/endowment.pdfLearning Objectives: Participants will learn: 1. One approach to preparing a legislative report on the use of settlement funds for preventing youth tobacco use and other risk behaviors. 2. How to use issue teams for legislative inquiries regarding use of tobacco settlement funds. 3. Lessons learned from Minnesota's experience.
Keywords: Tobacco Settlement, Legislative
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Minnesota Department of Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment