Jerry Cox – Page 1070 – Family Council

Lottery Gave 16 Cents on the Dollar to Scholarships in February

Mar 10, 2017Jerry CoxArkansas LotteryArkansas Lottery

This afternoon the Arkansas Lottery posted its financial report for the month of February.

According to the report, the Arkansas Lottery grossed nearly $41.2 million, but gave less than $6.7 million to scholarships–about 16 cents of every dollar it made.

A new bill filed last week by Sen. Joyce Elliott (D-Little Rock) would require the Lottery to set aside at least 25% of its gross revenue for scholarships; under that bill, the Arkansas Lottery would have given nearly $10.3 million to scholarships in February.

Unfortunately, the Arkansas Lottery continues to budget a paltry amount of money for scholarships each month. Below is a breakdown of the numbers for Fiscal Year 2017.

Month	Gross Lottery Revenue	Paid to Scholarships	% Gross Revenue
July	$38,237,293.92	$8,714,386.39	22.8%
August	35,091,022.09	5,498,714.86	15.7%
September	33,113,391.64	5,773,076.42	17.4%
October	34,061,993.14	5,165,040.54	15.2%
November	37,042,079.72	6,570,979.51	17.7%
December	35,352,159.35	4,596,532.22	13.0%
January, 2017	37,062,291.39	7,947,546.21	21.4%
February	41,176,854.60	6,698,099.62	16.3%
Total	$291,137,085.85	$50,964,375.77	17.5%

Resolution Filed Recognizing Bible as State Book

Mar 9, 2017Jerry CoxLegislatureArkansas Legislature

Rep. Dwight Tosh (R-Jonesboro) has filed a resolution recommending the Bible be recognized as Arkansas’ State Book.

Arkansas has a state bird; a state flower; a state gem; a state instrument; and we even have a state butterfly. There’s no reason we should not have a state book, and what better book is there than the Bible?

H.R. 1047 supports recognition of the Bible as Arkansas’ state book. The Arkansas House of Representatives could vote on this resolution this afternoon.

You can ask your state rep to support H.R. 1047 by calling 501-682-6211.

Arkansas Senate Fails to Pass Bill Banning Marijuana Edibles

Mar 8, 2017Jerry CoxLegislature, MarijuanaArkansas Legislature, Legislation, Marijuana

This week a good bill that prohibits the manufacture or sale of marijuana “edibles”—food or drink infused with marijuana—failed to pass the Arkansas Senate.

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment currently lets companies manufacture and sell foods—like candy and cookies—or drinks infused with marijuana. These marijuana edibles often contain extremely concentrated levels of marijuana and are routinely sending people in other states to emergency rooms.

S.B. 333 lets medical marijuana users and caregivers mix marijuana with food or drink at home, but it prevents companies from manufacturing or selling marijuana edibles in Arkansas. It’s a good, commonsense bill that protects people from dangerous marijuana products.

However, the bill failed to clear the Arkansas Senate. The bill needed twenty-four votes to pass. It received fifteen.