Cigarette Tax Fails To Pass In The Oklahoma House

A cigarette tax bill, which would have raised cigarette taxes by $1.50 a pack failed by a 63-34 vote in the Oklahoma House, Monday afternoon. 

House Bill 2372 needed 76 votes to pass. 19 Republicans and 15 Democrats voted no. The tax would have generated $215 million dollars for next year's fiscal budget. 

Govenor Mary Fallin released the following statement after the tax vote. 

I'm disappointed in those legislators who put political games and Washington-like gridlock ahead of the lives of Oklahomans and the core services our citizens expect. It's personal to those of us who have lost loved ones to smoking-related illnesses. It's personal to teenagers in Oklahoma who would have been saved from lives of tobacco addiction if the bill had passed. It's personal for citizens who would have received health care from the new revenue. I encourage all citizens to contact legislators and urge a yes vote on a smart way to protect the health of our citizens and the health of our state services.