Arkansas’ lieutenant governor says he wants to see changes made to the state lottery and to the scholarship program that it funds.
Lt. Gov. Bill Halter addressed reporters Tuesday, the first anniversary of the launch of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.
While Halter says that the lottery is a success, he says scholarship applications need to be processed faster. He also says the definition of a non-traditional student needs to be refined in setting scholarship priorities.
Halter was the main supporter of the constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2008 to establish the lottery.
Halter is leaving office at the end of the year. He ran an unsuccessful primary challenge against Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
The lottery sold $485 million worth of tickets in its first year, with the losses by players used to fund scholarships for students at two-year and four-year colleges.
Not all has gone smoothly for the lottery. The first controversy was over director Ernie Passailaigue’s salary of $324,000. Most recently, two lottery commission members unsuccessfully sought Passailaigue’s firing over his decision to grant comp time to upper-level employees.