Lottery bill clears last major House committee
NASHVILLE — Legislation defining how scholarships from lottery proceeds would be distributed cleared its final major House committee Tuesday, clearing the way for a vote by the full chamber by the end of the week.
The House Finance Committee approved the bill by an unanimous voice vote after more than three hours of debate, with few changes from its original presentation. It now moves on to the House Calendar and Rules Committee, which will schedule it for debate by the full chamber, likely on Thursday.
Despite the committee’s approval, sponsor Chris Newton, R-Benton, says the bill’s journey is far from over.
‘My sense of relief will come after the conference committee reports are adopted and it’s signed by the governor,’ Newton said.
Currently, the House’s version of the legislation differs greatly from the lottery bill approved last month by the Senate. A conference committee composed of members of both chambers will be necessary to resolve the differences.
The House bill calls for qualifying students — those with a 3.0 high school grade-point average and a 19 ACT score — to receive $3,000 awards to public or private four-year institutions or $1,500 awards to those attending two-year community colleges.
Students attending state technical schools would not have to meet any academic requirements to receive $1,250 awards.
In addition, $1,000 supplements would be given to students from families with incomes less than $36,000, along with the state’s ‘best and brightest’ — those with 3.75 GPAs and 29 ACT scores.
The committee did approve one amendment changing the qualifying requirements for students who will receive their general equivalency diplomas after Jan. 1, 2004. Those students must now make a 525 on the GED exam and a 19 on the ACT to qualify. Previously, a 23 ACT score was required.
Sponsor Doug Overbey, R-Maryville, said he wanted to ‘level the playing field for GED graduates.’
In other lottery developments Tuesday, five Senate members were appointed to a conference committee of both chambers to develop a final version of the other lottery legislation, an implementation bill that creates a nonprofit corporation to run the games and distribute scholarships.
The Senate members of the committee are Senate lottery sponsor Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Memphis, along with Republican Sens. Jeff Miller of Cleveland and Bill Clabough of Maryville, and Democrats Ward Crutchfield of Chattanooga and Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville.
The five House members were chosen Monday. They are Newton, House Democratic Leader Kim McMillan of Clarksville; Ulysses Jones and Larry Miller, both Democrats from Memphis; and Republican Rep. Jamie Hagood of Knoxville.
Newton says he and Cohen have discussed convening the first meeting of the committee Thursday morning.
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Tennessee General Assembly: www.legislature.state.tn.us