Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell is facing questioning from congressional lawmakers concerned about how the state has spent about $1-billion in tobacco-settlement money over the last decade, Newsday reported Jan. 9.

In the wake of a report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids that ranked Connecticut last among states in terms of tobacco-prevention spending, the federal lawmakers wrote to Rell to get details of her future plans for spending money from the 1998 settlement with the tobacco industry. In 2008, the state allocated no money from its share of the settlement to prevention, choosing instead to allocate its $140 million in tobacco money to the general fund.

According to the report, Connecticut has spent less than $10 million from the settlement on prevention since 2000. "We are missing an opportunity to improve the health and well-being of Connecticut's residents by failing to use money from the tobacco settlement towards smoking and tobacco prevention and cessation," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). "It is clear we need to do more to prohibit underage smoking," added Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.).

"It is simply unacceptable that Connecticut has not yet allocated the money from the tobacco settlement agreement to its intended use," said Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.)

Robert Genuario, Rell's budget director, said Connecticut has a good track record of funding smoking prevention.