Governor Quinn wants to increase the cigarette tax from 98-cents to a dollar 98-cents. That's a one dollar hike that Kathy Drea, with the American Lung Association in Illinois, says they support 100-percent.
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The governor is proposing the hike as part of his plan to restructure Medicaid. Quinn anticipates the increase will bring in an additional 337-million dollars a year, plus the federal government will match that 100-percent. The proposal still needs to get through the general assembly. It's drawing some resistance from both House and Senate Republicans.