Illinois needs to pay its bills desperately. Of the revenue proposals that were seriously debated in Springfield last session, a bill (SB 44) that would have raised the state's cigarette tax by $1 per pack was the most politically popular. According to a poll commissioned by the Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco, 74 percent of Illinoisans support the idea. The State Senate already passed it. Gov. Pat Quinn supported it. It would raise roughly $300 million annually while improving public health. And the House was just "a handful of votes" short of approving it, as well.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on June 1 that the measure "could still be revisited this summer or in the regular fall session." If GOP gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady is elected on November 2 and the Assembly waits to revive the legislation until the spring, supporters are going to need a veto-proof majority. We know Brady has taken the "no tax hike" pledge. This spring, he voted against (PDF) SB 44. And according to his latest campaign finance disclosure form, Altria Group donated $25,000 to his campaign. Whose Altria group, you ask? The parent company of Philip Morris USA.