It is also likely that newspaper coverage of the billboard spread its message to a wider audience, though it seemed to have little effect on the next budget hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations. At the March 5, 2001 hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations, Rep. Christine Kaufman moved to restore the $6 million to the TUPP that was being cut under Martz’ proposed budget.Kaufman asserted that Montanans had expressed a desire for MSA money to be spent on tobacco prevention by voting for the MSA health trust, and Rep. Rosalie Buzzas expressed her support for the motion. In supporting Gov. Martz’ proposed budget, Committee Vice-Chair Rep. Dave Lewis countered that money was scarce, and that the tobacco prevention program would still have federal funds of $1 million in addition to the $500,000 per year from the MSA. Lewis argued that the reduced TUPP budget would allow the state to maintain other worthwhile programs, stating “it’s simply a matter of priorities.”Montana residents, anti-tobacco groups, and the health organizations continued their efforts to convince the legislators to maintain prior funding levels for tobacco prevention programs. On March 7, 2001, about 200 people converged on the Capitol to urge the 2001 Legislature to add money to the state’s Tobacco Use Prevention Program proposed budget.The Helena Independent Record reported that “to drive their message home, supporters of the program… filled the Capitol with 1,400 daffodils, four to a vase. The total represents the number of people who die each year in Montana of tobacco-related illnesses; the distribution stands for the four people who die each day.”The article also reported that “[o]n placards standing around the rotunda down the hall from the governor’s office,racks shelves several dozen Montanans posted messages on what rally organizers called the ‘Wall of Hope.’”Health advocates continued to make their arguments to reporters covering the March 7, 2001 rally.
Jeri Domme, a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council representing the American Heart Association, explained that reduction of the TUPP budget by more than 80% would essentially eliminate the program. Dr. Shepard, Advisory Council member representing the American Lung Association, criticized the elected officials who failed to support tobacco prevention, asking ,“How big does the number have to be before we get people’s attention?” and “how much money does it have to cost?.”In response the criticisms made by rally attendees, Mary Jo Fox, Communications Director for the Governor, told reporters that Gov. Martz had not changed her mind about funding the prevention program at $500,000 a year. Fox asserted that tobacco prevention was a low priority in a fiscally tight period, saying “in a year where funds are scarce, choices have to be made,” and that though she thought tobacco prevention was a good program, “we don’t have funds for it at this time.”Local news continued to report the criticisms made by health advocates about Gov. Martz’ handling of the tobacco use prevention budget. In an April 3, 2003 article by the Associated Press, Dr. Robert Shepard, stated that the state officials “have failed to address the leading cause of preventable death in Montana,” and that “for this program to be cut by 86% is outrageous.”The article also quoted Joan Miles, Director of Lewis and Clark County Health Department, who said that “…it would be disgraceful if we would accept tobacco settlement dollars without appropriating some of them to preventing disease and death.”The Associated Press story was carried by state newspapers, the Helena Independent Record and the Billings Gazette.Gov. The administration’s statement said that Martz had made her position clear in January: “Tobacco use prevention is a worthy cause, but will have to make due with $1 million [for the 2002-2003 biennium] in tight fiscal times.”The Governor’s press secretary, Anastasia Burton, reiterated the claim to reporters that the governor believed in the tobacco use prevention program.
The Governor’s claims of believing in tobacco use prevention program, however, were inconsistent to previous statements, in which she told the Governor’s Advisory Council on Tobacco Use Prevention that she was reducing prevention funds because the program lacked results. The Governor’s statement also said that the reduced budget was based on her belief that $1 million was adequate to get the job done, even though all state officials involved with the TUPP believed that the program might be eliminated due to her funding proposals. Indeed, Drew Dawson, Chief of the Health Systems Bureau of the DPHHS which directly oversaw the tobacco-use prevention program, stated in February 2001 that it was unclear what the department could accomplish with such a dramatic reduction in funding.State health advocates held a press conference in Helena on April 9, 2001 to continue their public criticisms of Martz’ proposed tobacco prevention budget cuts, as well the support Republican legislators had given to the cuts. At the press conference, representatives from the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids made public statements around a table topped by 4 body bags, symbolizing the 4 people each day that die in Montana from tobacco-related illness.American Heart Association Lobbyist Cliff Christians stated that the Governor and Legislature were failing to adequately support tobacco use prevention, but that there was still time to increase proposed funding for the TUPP.Kristen Page Nei with the American Cancer Society called the administrations budget constraints argument “hogwash” and “downright insulting.”Nei pointed out that the 60% of the MSA money not dedicated to the trust fund was in the state for the purpose of addressing tobacco use prevention, and was “not intended to balance the budget.”Gov. Martz met with the Governor’s Advisory Council on Tobacco Use Prevention on April 12, 2001. During the 40 minute meeting, Gov. Martz told the Advisory Council “I don’t want to argue with you. I believe in what you’re doing,” and that “I believe in the programs, I just don’t have the money.”184 Again, the Governor contradicted assertions made earlier in the year that she did not believe the programs worked.
Members of the Advisory Council repeated arguments they had been making since December 2000: that the program was not given enough time to show results, that tobacco related illness was a major health danger, and that cutting the TUPP budget by $6 million would effectively eliminate the program. Gov. Martz, now claiming she wholeheartedly believed in tobacco prevention, responded by putting all of the blame on a budget constraints: “I believe every word your saying. I can understand why you’re so adamant about it… I’m not heartless. I’m not a cold blooded person. But I have a whole state to find an ending fund balance for.”Advisory Council members at the April 12, 2001 meeting also repeated the suggestion that the state could raise money as well as reduce the smoking rate by raising the tax on cigarettes. Martz rejected the idea,vertical dispensary reasserting her pledge not to raise any taxes.Martz did offer to help the council find additional money in the private sector, but made clear that unless the state discovered new revenue, tobacco-use prevention spending would not be increased. Already at risk of elimination from drastically reduced funding, the Tobacco Use Prevention Program was further weakened on April 18, 2001, when Senate Finance Chairman Robert Keenan moved that the House-Senate Conference Committee transfer the entire program and its funding out of the Department of Health and Human Services and into the Montana Interagency Coordinating Council for State Prevention Programs.The ICC was physically housed in the DPHSS, but was administratively attached to the governor’s office, which would directly supervise its members. The ICC was created by Legislative statute in 1993 for the purpose of creating and sustaining a comprehensive system of prevention services in the state of Montana. The ICC was comprised of ten Montana state agency directors, the Lieutenant Governor, and two persons appointed by the Governor who had experience in prevention programs and services.Among the goals of the ICC were to reduce the rates of child abuse, drug abuse, high school drop-outs, violent crime, and teen pregnancy in the state.
On April 18, 2001, the House-Senate Conference Committee voted unanimously to move the $1 million in state funds and about $2 million more in federal disease-prevention money from the fledgling Tobacco Use Prevention Program in the DPHSS, and into the Gov. Martz controlled ICC. Senate Finance Chairman Keenan, in explaining his motion to move the program, reasoned that the governor’s office already had vast resources to tackle prevention efforts, and he believed that government prevention programs were being duplicated.The day after the House-Senate Conference Committee vote, on April 19, 2001, the Helena Independent Record observed that this likely meant the elimination of a long effort by public health advocates for a fully funded, separate and high-profile anti-tobacco campaign in the state.To the surprise of the state health advocates, tobacco use prevention efforts would now be one of the several programs run through the ICC; in addition, the reduced budget for tobacco prevention was approved by the legislature on April 21, 2001.Shortly after the Legislature restructured the state tobacco prevention programs, it was announced that Gov. Martz might let the Governor’s Advisory Council on Tobacco Use Prevention sunset after its two-year term ended in September 2001.Although the administration claimed to reporters on April 24, 2001 that it had not made a final decision on the Advisory Council’s fate, Ken Pekoc, a public information officer for the DPHHS, told reporters that his department had prepared a draft letter informing members of the demise of the Advisory Council. According to Pekoc, the letter was then changed on April 24, 2001 into a list of pros and cons regarding the council that was released to the public.Mary Jo Fox, Communication Director for the Governor, denied that she or the Governor had seen the letter, and claimed that the Governor was awaiting a recommendation from DPHSS Director Gail Gray before making a decision about the council.190 It was reported in an April 24, 2001 Helena Independent Record article that Gray herself had not yet made a recommendation to the governor, though she was likely to suggest eliminating the Advisory Council because of reduced funding and restructuring. The DPHHS Director made no comment on the draft letter informing of the Council’s demise, which was allegedly prepared by her own department.Communications Director Fox claimed that the Governor was not looking for retribution against Council members who criticized here actions, but was reacting to the Legislature’s wishes regarding the program funds and structures. Such a justification contradicted the history of the conflict between Martz and health advocates, however, since it was Martz herself who originally recommended reducing the Tobacco Use Prevention Program budget.Council members said they were not surprised by the Governor’s decision. In reaction, Dr. Shepard told reporters that, “it is not a reasonable approach to throw out the expertise of 24 volunteer members who have been working hard on this program,”Dr. John Hauxwell, another member of the Advisory Council who represented the Indian Health Service, told the press that the council was being eliminated because “[w]e were a burr under [Gov. Martz’] saddle reminding her that she was backing way from what’s essentially a public health crisis.”Though the contentious relationship between anti-tobacco advocates and Gov. Martz was well known and widely reported by the local press, it should also be noted that conflicts with Gov. Martz were not exclusive to tobacco control advocates. On April 25, 2001, the Center of Environment Politics , a Montana-based political watchdog group established in 1998, held a news conference on the steps of the state Capitol to criticize Gov. Martz’ administration.The CEP charged that the first 100 days of Gov. Martz’ administration were marked by a lack of openness, inclusiveness and accountability, though the governor’s spokeswoman dismissed the criticism as little more than a rally hosted by the Montana Democratic Party.