The Arkansas Legislative Council voted Wednesday to create a lottery oversight subcommittee, and the council's leaders appointed Sen. Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, and Rep. Chris Richey, D-Helena-West Helena, as co-chairmen of the new panel.
Since the 2009 Arkansas Legislature authorized the creation of the lottery, the independent oversight committee has been the sole legislative body to consider the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery's proposed contracts, proposed rules and proposed budget, salary levels for the lottery's director and other matters.
Act 1258 abolished the lottery oversight committee.
Now, the Legislative Council will consider approving the lottery's proposals after the legislative oversight subcommittee reviews them under Act 1258. The law also requires most state agencies to get the council's approval for their proposed rules before they go into effect.
Hickey said he doesn't expect to see "a whole lot of difference" between the old committee and the new subcommittee.
Act 218 abolished the Arkansas Lottery Commission and moved the lottery into Gov. Asa Hutchinson's administration in the state Department of Finance and Administration, effective Feb. 26. The state Department of Higher Education administers the lottery-financed Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship program.
"We are going to have DF&A before us instead of the commission to give us reports and then I would anticipate that we'll also have the [Higher Education Department] come before us to give their reports," Hickey told reporters. "I see it as kind of a work in progress.
"We are going to be focused solely on maximizing the amount of revenue that goes ... for the scholarship fund," said Hickey, who sponsored the legislation eliminating the commission.
Richey said that "our agenda is how we can get things headed in the right direction where we are generating enough revenue to fund the scholarships at the level where we want to fund them."
"There are different things that we can look at with the governor's office now that it's in his boat ... to figure what's the plan for the lottery moving forward to get this thing headed in the right direction for these scholarships," he said.
The House's other members of the lottery oversight subcommittee are Little Rock Republican Andy Davis, Fort Smith Democrat George McGill, Pocahontas Democrat Scott Baltz, Sheridan Republican Ken Bragg, Paragould Democrat Mary Broadaway, Austin Republican Joe Farrer and Benton Republican Lanny Fite, said Legislative Council co-Chairman Rep. David Branscum, R-Marshall, who appointed them.
The Senate's other members of the subcommittee are Rogers Republican Cecile Bledsoe, Little Rock Democrat Joyce Elliott, Fayetteville Democrat Uvalde Lindsey, Cave Springs Republican Bart Hester, Magnolia Democrat Bruce Maloch, Nashville Democrat Larry Teague and Sulphur Springs Republican Jim Hendren, said Legislative Council Co-Chairman Sen. Bill Sample, R-Hot Springs, who appointed them.
The lottery started selling tickets on Sept. 28, 2009.
It has helped fund more than 30,000 Arkansas Challenge Scholarships during each of the past five fiscal years.
But the lottery's revenue and net proceeds for college scholarships have dipped during the past two fiscal years.
Metro on 04/24/2015