Editorial: Don’t let lawmakers ruin what’s working in Sequoyah County

Most people in Sequoyah County probably haven’t heard much about the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, better known as TSET. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t made a difference here.

Since voters created TSET in 2000, it has quietly invested more than $2.4 million in schools, towns and organizations across our county. That money has helped schools in Gore, Moffett, Central and Brushy. It has supported towns like Vian, Marble City and Muldrow. It has helped People Inc. provide important health services. And it brought $362,000 to the city of Sallisaw to support local health and wellness projects like the new aquatics center.

TSET has helped people quit smoking, brought health programs to schools, improved access to food, and supported cancer prevention efforts. It funds cutting-edge cancer research that is saving lives and helping Oklahomans get the highest quality treatment without having to leave the state. TSET also funded the state’s first-ever mobile lung cancer screening bus, so more people can catch lung cancer early, when it is still treatable.

All of this was possible because TSET was set up to stay out of politics. When voters approved it more than 20 years ago, they put it in the state Constitution to keep lawmakers from interfering. It is one of the few programs in state government that has lived up to its promises.

Now that may change.

Lawmakers at the Capitol are trying to pass House Bill 2783. This bill would let politicians remove TSET board members at any time. That may not sound like a big deal, but it would weaken the very protection voters approved. It would let politics decide who controls one of the most effective and trusted health programs in Oklahoma.

Rural communities often feel ignored. Most of the time, they are. But TSET has not forgotten Sequoyah County. It has delivered real support, with real dollars, and has trusted local people to decide how best to use it.

If lawmakers succeed in changing how TSET works, those dollars could stop coming. What has been a fair and steady system could become another political tool, shifting based on who is in power.

Sequoyah County does not need more empty promises. It needs action, resources and long-term support. TSET has provided that. We should not let lawmakers take it away.

If you care about the health of your family, your school or your hometown, contact your senator. Tell them to vote no on House Bill 2783. TSET is working. Let’s keep it that way.