|
|
| |
| Thu, Aug. 28, 2008 |  |
 |
|
||
| |
Halter: Lottery promotion legitimate use staff's time Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Lt. Gov. Bill Halter said Tuesday his proposal for a state lottery to fund college scholarships is a public policy issue and therefore appropriate for his staff to spend time on during office hours. Halter made the remarks in response to criticism from Jerry Cox, executive director of the Family Council, who said last week he had serious questions about the extent to which the state has "subsidized" Halter's campaign for a state lottery. "This is a major public policy issue, just like there are a lot of other issues out there, and all of the constitutional officers and all of the legislators and every other elected official has comments and works on public policy, as do their staffs," Halter told reporters after giving a talk on the lottery proposal to the Downtown Little Rock Kiwanis Club. Halter said he did not keep track of how much time his office devoted to the lottery issue, but said he believed the lottery did not take up the bulk of his staff's time. "We work on a host of other issues, as do all of the other constitutional officers and all of their staffs. Nobody allocates a percentage of time in any of these other offices or anything like that, and in a small staff we're certainly not going to do that either," he said. Although his address to the Kiwanis Club on Tuesday focused on the lottery, Halter said he also talks to groups about issues such as health care, gas prices and assistance to crime victims. A state law requires a public servant or governmental body to report expenditures over $500 for the purpose of "expressly advocating" passage or defeat of a ballot question. Halter said his office has been keeping track of reimbursements to staff members for lottery-related travel expenses, and it will report those expenses if they exceed $500. Halter spokesman Garry Hoffmann said last week those expenses have totaled about $400 to date. Members of Halter's staff had made four trips to outlying areas of the state to give talks on the lottery, Hoffmann said. "To my knowledge there are no other significant expenses" besides travel reimbursements, Halter said Tuesday. Halter said he does not solicit donations to his lottery campaign, Hope for Arkansas, in his office or on the Capitol grounds, though he said he will talk about the issue to anyone who wants to discuss it. Hope for Arkansas has raised $477,917, Halter reported Tuesday in a filing with the state Ethics Commission. Halter submitted 138,615 signatures to the secretary of state's office last month in support of placing a constitutional amendment to create a state lottery on the November general election ballot. At least 77,468 of the signatures must be verified for the proposal to make the ballot. Halter has said the lottery would generate about $100 million annually to fund college scholarships. The United Methodist Church of Arkansas filed a statement of organization Monday with the Ethics Commission for a ballot question committee, United Methodists Against Gambling, that will oppose Halter's lottery proposal. Other groups that oppose a state lottery include the Arkansas Committee for Ethics Policy and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. |
