One wouldn't expect a road funding plan to also include a potential deterrent to one of society's leading health risks.
Such an unlikely dichotomy exists in a bill pending in the Indiana Legislature, coupling increased money for state highways with a $1-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes.
It's an innovative approach to two challenges that deserves support from our state lawmakers.
Indiana has needed a better way of responsibly funding roads — arguably our state's most important infrastructure asset — for years.
Yesterday, we hailed a bill sponsored by Indiana Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, as a sensible way to make that happen.
Today, we highlight a specific provision in the bill that would keep from robbing Peter to pay Paul while also creating a potential public health by-product.
Soliday's roads bill would begin channeling 5 cents of every 7 cents collected on gasoline sales taxes to funding state roads and bridges. Right now, only 1 cent of every 7 goes to this purpose, and it manifests in crumbling or obsolete roadways that no longer meet our needs.
Left without another funding change, however, Soliday's plan would divert gas tax money from the state's Medicaid program to roads.
Soliday's bill closes that gap by also hiking the state cigarette tax by $1 to fund the difference for Medicaid.
Indiana has one of the lowest cigarette taxes in the nation, currently at 99.5 cents per pack. Raising it another dollar would provide an important revenue swap while creating a health-related funding mechanism for a health-related service.
Most dedicated smokers may be willing to continue ponying up the extra buck a pack. But for those who don't want to pay, this extra tax on smokes could serve as a deterrent to an unhealthy habit.
According to a study released last month by Vanderbilt University and the University of Michigan in the Pediatrics journal, higher smoking taxes are strongly associated with lower infant mortality rates in the United States.
Researchers found that for every $1 tax increase per pack, about two infant deaths were prevented daily because of the smoking deterrent factor.
We see only positives in this important aspect of Soliday's road funding plan.