JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An initiative petition might be the best route toward asking voters to approve a threefold increase in Missouri's cigarette tax, lawmakers say.

Earlier this month, a coalition of health care advocacy groups took the first step toward placing such a question on the November ballot.

Some lawmakers now appear to be abandoning efforts to pass legislation toward the same goal, supporting the proposed petition drive instead.

"This is an election year and there are a lot of people who don't want to vote on what they perceive as a tax, even though it would allow their constituents to vote on the tax," said Rep. Lana Ladd Baker, D-Florissant.

A bill by Baker has been on the House debate calendar for some time but has yet to come up.

Her bill -- asking voters to raise the 17-cent cigarette tax to 58 cents per pack -- was largely included in the initiative petition proposals submitted to the secretary of state's office.

The coalition has filed eight initiative proposals but ultimately would pursue only one. Those proposals would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes to 67 cents or 72 cents. One measure also would increase the tax on other tobacco products.

Under the initiative proposals, the new revenue could provide money for Medicaid payments to hospitals, doctors, dentists and pharmacies, as well as to anti-smoking programs and life sciences research.

120,000 signatures

The language must to be approved by state officials before the coalition can begin collecting the 120,000 voter signatures needed by May 5 to make the November ballot.

The tax increases in the initiative proposals could raise as much as $340 million annually. Baker's proposal would raise about $230 million.

All of that new money looks good to some lawmakers bogged down in trying to balance the fiscal 2003 budget.

Gov. Bob Holden declared an economic emergency in early March and asked lawmakers to dip into the state's savings account to pay for programs such as mental health services. He wants to take $135 million out of the so-called Rainy Day Fund, which must be paid back within three years.

While the new cigarette tax would primarily benefit health care, the initiative petition doesn't specify where the money must be spent during the tax's first six months.

Some say the governor could use that money to repay the Rainy Day Fund.

Holden spokesman Jerry Nachtigal said the governor was considering that option as well as how the new money could benefit health care.

"The governor has said that he believes that it would be wise to put the revenue generated in the increase of cigarette tax into health programs," Nachtigal said.

Tobacco tax bill is HB1479 (Baker).