Arkansas Scholarship Lottery winners of more than $500,000 would get the option to keep their identities secret for two years under legislation the Senate approved Wednesday.
The Senate voted 25-6 to approve Senate Bill 306 by Sen. Larry Teague, D-Nashville, sending the measure to the House for further action.
[RELATED: Complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature]
If a lottery player who wins more than $500,000 requests that his records or other information filed with the lottery remain confidential, that information would be exempt from public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act under the bill. The records treated as confidential would become public after two years.
But the lottery winner wouldn't remain confidential if the lottery winner is an elected official or a person who is related to an elected official.
-- Michael R. Wickline