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Halter announces lottery proposal Thursday, Feb 1, 2007 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Lt. Gov. Bill Halter on Wednesday announced plans for a proposed constitutional amendment to create a state lottery, proceeds from which would be used to fund college scholarships and teacher bonuses. Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville, filed House Joint Resolution 1005, a lottery proposal, on Wednesday. The measure has 15 House co-sponsors. The state constitution bans lotteries. Standing in front of 14 state representatives at a state Capitol news conference, Halter said he hopes to get the proposed constitutional change through the Legislature and before voters in the November 2008 general election. During each regular session, the Legislature can refer up to three proposed constitutional amendments to voters in the next general election. Halter, who called for a state lottery during his successful campaign for office last year, said for his entire life Arkansas has been ranked 49th out of the 50 states in per capita income and has been ranked at or near the bottom in the percentage of adults with college degrees. "To compete, we must increase the number of Arkansas students who achieve either a college degree or some form of other education. Too many Arkansas students are denied these opportunities because they or their families simply cannot afford them," he said. Bond's resolution would create an Educate Arkansas Trust Fund to receive proceeds from a state lottery, after prizes and expenses. The trust fund would be used for scholarships to two-year and four-year colleges and universities and vocational training programs in the state, and for bonuses for public school teachers who teach and live in the state. The resolution does not specify a governing body for the state lottery, but Halter said a state lottery commission likely would be created for that purpose. Halter said it is difficult to estimate how much money the lottery would generate, but that if the revenue were the same as the average per capita revenue from lotteries in other states in the region, it could bring in about $100 million a year. Georgia's lottery generates more than $240 million a year and has sent more than one million Georgia students to college since that state adopted a lottery in 1993, Halter said. Some state lotteries generate even more revenue, he said. Halter said he understands the objections many have to lotteries, but said Arkansans are already playing the lottery. "They just drive across state lines to do it," he said. "I believe we should keep those funds here in the state of Arkansas to help educate our kids." Larry Page, executive director of the Arkansas Faith and Ethics Council, said in an interview that his organization opposes Halter's plan. "It's probably well-intentioned, but we don't think it's a sound economic tool. It's a regressive tax," he said. Page said mostly the poor play lotteries. Also, much of the money going to a lottery would be diverted from the general economy, so spin-off benefits such as sales taxes and jobs would be lost, he said. Page also said he believes Halter's estimates of potential revenue are inflated. He cited a study by Arkansas Advocates for Families and Children that estimated potential lottery revenue for Arkansas at $47 million a year. At the time that study was conducted, Oklahoma did not yet have a lottery, so the number probably would be lower if the study were conducted today, Page said. Arkansas voters rejected proposed lottery amendments in 1996 and 2000. Those measures also would have allowed casino gambling; Halter's would not. Feb. 7 is the deadline for proposed constitutional amendments to be filed in the Legislature. Others that have been filed include resolutions by Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, and Rep. Rick Saunders, D-Hot Springs, both of which would increase the terms of county officials from two years to four years. Glover also has filed a proposed constitutional amendment to establish a procedure for the recall of certain elected officials, and one to require a three-fifths vote of the total membership of both houses of the Legislature to increase taxes. |
