With the Wisconsin budget at a standstill, legislators from both parties have agreed to add into the unfinished draft an additional $1.25 tax on tobacco products.

Republicans and Democrats continue to disagree on major aspects of the budget and are exactly three months past the original 2007-2009 budget deadline of July 1.

Rachel Allen, spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, said the recently approved cigarette tax is the only aspect of Doyle’s original budget proposal the budget legislators have agreed upon. Doyle submitted his proposal in February.

"There have been closed negotiations," Allen said. "But each are trying to put things they want into the final budget [and] people are giving up some stuff."

Allen said both parties have accepted the increase.

The money raised from the increased cigarette tax would be used for smoking prevention awareness programs in an attempt to lower the number of smokers in Wisconsin, Allen said.

"It's an important step in the budget, but we just need to get this done — we have been at a standstill for four months," Allen said.

Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin, said this increase would benefit both poor children and pregnant women because the state has one of the highest rates of pregnant women smokers.

"I think it would be a breakthrough in the budget negotiations," Busalacchi said. "It would mean 84,000 would not have an addiction, and it's a way of protecting our kids."

For SmokeFree Wisconsin, passing this tax increase is top on their agenda.

"It will also help 42,000 smokers quit for good," Busalacchi said. "We think by having it be part of the final budget, [legislators] are making a very wise, strategic and popular move."

John Murray, spokesperson for Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said all tobacco would be affected by the increase.

Murray said although legislators have come to an agreement on this tax, they remain far from having a finished budget. But Murray added there is a possibility it could be done at the end of this month.

"We're roughly a billion dollars apart on spending for this budget," Murray said. "We're challenging the Democrats to drop some of their spending."

Both parties are continuing to try to make a set budget, but Murray said the Republicans are putting out a lot of offers to the Democrats in an attempt to close the budget gap. Murray said the offers keep getting rejected.