Board to discuss Healthy Michigan proposal
The “Healthy Michigan” ballot proposal will be the focus of a special meeting of the CMU Board of Trustees Friday.
The meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Bovee University Center President’s Conference Room.
Public Relations and Marketing Senior Officer Rich Morrison said the meeting will be mainly by conference telephone call.
“They will not physically be getting together, but they are going to decide if they want to take an official stand on the so-called ‘Healthy Michigan’ ballot initiative,” he said. “If it passes, the bottom line is CMU will lose $2.5 million in financial aid each year.”
Morrison said Michigan State University Trustees approved a resolution against the ballot because of the negative impact it would have on state residents and public institutions.
“It will be an opportunity to make our position clear,” he said.
A coalition of hospitals and medical companies are lobbying for a constitutional amendment on the November general election ballot that would divert most of the state’s $8-billion tobacco settlement to health care causes.
The Citizens for a Healthy Michigan want nearly 90 percent of the $300 million Michigan will receive annually for 25 years from tobacco companies.
However, Gov. John Engler has dedicated that money to college merit scholarships, prescription drug coverage for the elderly and research. Under his Life Sciences Corridor initiative, about $50 million will be invested annually in biotechnology projects related to asthma, cancer, genetics and other health areas.
Morrison said even if the trustees decide to approve a resolution against the initiative, he is unsure what effect it would have.
The Detroit News contributed to this article.
