Legislature Begins Looking at Two Key Bills During the Interim

Legislature, , , , ,

This week the Arkansas Legislature moved forward with plans to look at two key pieces of legislation between now and 2019.

The first is S.B. 583 by Senator Joyce Elliott. The legislature will study the feasibility of requiring 25% of lottery proceeds to fund scholarships; reinstating the 2.5 GPA requirement to be eligible for scholarships; and having independent consultants for the Arkansas Lottery.

The second is S.B. 774, the privacy bill by Senator Linda Collins-Smith. This bill would have required a person using a public shower, locker room, restroom, or similar facility on government property to use the facility that corresponds to the biological sex listed on his or her original birth certificate. The legislature will study this issue in the months to come.

Lawmakers cannot pass these bills during the interim study period, but can research these issues, collect testimony, and present recommendations when the Arkansas Legislature reconvenes as a whole.

We are glad lawmakers have agreed to look at these two issues during the interim. The next step is to schedule meetings where experts, members of the public, and others can testify at the Capitol.

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Lottery Scholarship Revenue Drops in May

Arkansas Lottery

On Friday the Arkansas Lottery released its monthly financial report for May.

According to the report, the Arkansas Lottery took in over $38 million in May, but paid out roughly $7 million in scholarships–about 18 cents for every dollar it made.

Overall, Lottery revenue and scholarship funding have declined since April.

There’s simply no excuse for the Arkansas Lottery’s consistently low scholarship budget. If you would like to know the one thing the Arkansas Lottery could do to pay more to scholarships right now–even if lottery revenue dropped by tens of millions of dollars–click here.

Below is a breakdown of the Lottery’s financial figures for this fiscal year.

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%
March 43,405,541.56 6,204,704.75 14.3%
April 38,671,617.14 7,845,827.56 20.3%
May 38,185,263.61 7,068,770.18 18.5%
Total $411,399,508.16 $72,083,678.26 17.5%

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Arkansas Lottery Gave 20 Cents on the Dollar to Scholarships in April

Arkansas Lottery

Today the Arkansas Lottery posted its financial report for the month of April.

According to the report, the Arkansas Lottery took in $38.7 million last month, but paid only $7.8 million to scholarships–roughly 20 cents of every dollar it made.

These figures are well below the national average. The typical state lottery pays at least 30% of its gross revenue for its intended purpose. The Arkansas Lottery gave only 20% of its gross revenue to scholarships last month.

Overall this fiscal year, the Arkansas Lottery has spent about 17.4% of its revenue on scholarships. By contrast, the Lottery has spent 68% of its revenue on prizes.

Below is a month-by-month breakdown of the Lottery’s figures.

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%
March 43,405,541.56 6,204,704.75 14.3%
April 38,671,617.14 7,845,827.56 20.3%
Total $373,214,244.55 $65,014,908.08 17.4%

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