The South Carolina House voted Wednesday to keep the 50-cent-per-pack cigarette tax increase that was sent them by the Senate.

The tax is now 7 cents per pack, the lowest in the U.S.

York County Republican Gary Simrill, who expressed concern for convenience stores along the North Carolina border in his district, led a fight to bring the increase back down to the 30-cent-per-pack increase originally approved this year by the House.

(Simrill on tax increase  MP3  1:55)
Simrill on tax increase

The 62-53 vote came after hours of debate Wednesday afternoon, including numerous amendments that were considered for the tax legislation.

The 50-cent increase would generates $130 million for the new Medicaid trust fund, $45 million more than the 30-cent increase.

Orangeburg Democrat Gilda Cobb Hunter said that extra funding will save 2200 jobs around the state, including staff in doctor’s offices affected by the loss of $81 million in Medicaid funding.

(Cobb-Hunter on tax increase  MP  1:55)
Cobb-Hunter on tax increase

One House member mentioned that a cigarette producer got small cigars added to the legislation, in order to complicate the measure and bring in lobbyists from other tobacco companies whose pressure attempted to kill the bill.

Pickens County Republican B.R. Skelton said that he was clearly biased against smoking. He said his father had died of a breathing disorder after 60 years of smoking, and his daughter had developed lung cancer, but the cancerous node was removed. He told House members they need to consider the facts.

Skelton said statistics show that increasing the cigarette tax will prevent more than 20-thousand South Carolina teenagers from smoking.

Florence County Republican Kris Crawford, a medical doctor, told lawmakers he believed that the 50 cent increase would pass.

Cobb-Hunter directly addressed those who signed “no-tax” pledges, saying they had already broken that pledge, years ago, if they voted to increase any fees.

How many of you how constituents who got speeding tickets and called you, wanting to know why, when they got to court, the fine was actually $200-$300 more?   Why do you think that is?  Because we are funding the criminal justice system on the backs of fines, fees and assessments.  So you’vee been running around here with your chests out, talking about a ‘no tax’ pledge.  But like my grandmother used to say, ‘Bless your heart, you’ve already broken it.’