Anti-Smoking Groups Balk at Cuomo’s Budget Proposal

New York’s top anti-smoking groups are attacking Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal as the latest cut to effective programs aimed at saving lives and keeping teenagers from smoking.

In a letter sent to Cuomo over the weekend, the groups urged the governor to back off on what they say would be another state budget cut to anti-smoking programs, including TV ad campaigns.

Cuomo said in his 2013-14 budget presentation last week that his budget would be "expanding tobacco cessation efforts."

His proposal to the legislature calls for consolidating 89 health awareness and prevention programs into six pools where groups would compete for funds. The budget proposes $40 million for all the programs, including anti-smoking measures, the same total the groups now receive.

The anti-smoking groups say the measure will make the funding of the programs less transparent to taxpayers and ultimately reduce aid. Consolidating budget lines gives the legislature less power to add or subtract funding under state law.