Cigarette Tax Fails Again

The Senate has rejected an amendment to a TOPS scholarship bill that renews a four-cent tax on cigarettes that expires a year from now. The House added the tobacco tax to the bill, which commits more money from the tobacco settlement to TOPS education grants. That bill is a Constitutional amendment, which means it's veto proof and will be decided by voters this fall. The Senate's rejection of the cigarette tax amendment sends the measure to a conference committee to try to forge an agreement on the final bill. The Legislature ends Thursday night at 6.