Missouri No Longer Due $50 Million in Tobacco Settlement

Missouri's budget director says the state can't count on getting $50 million in anticipated tobacco settlement money.

Budget director Dan Haug on Monday said a September appeals court ruling means the state won't get the money unless a planned appeal to the state Supreme Court is successful.

The money is part of an annual payment that tobacco companies make to states under a 1998 settlement covering the costs of providing health care to people with tobacco-related illnesses.

Missouri's budget had banked on the money. Haug says the state is reviewing how to deal with the loss.

The announcement comes as Haug says there is concern about slow revenue growth. Collections increased only 1.6 percent in September compared with the same time last year.