Good News For HOPE Scholarship Recipents... For Now

College students who get the HOPE scholarship will have a better chance of having their book fees covered under legislation passed in the state House today.

Under current law, if the lottery-funded reserves drop by even just one dollar, the HOPE scholarship would pay less for books. For this year and next, the reserves are fine.

But Representative Ben Harbin from Evans worries that demand for the scholarship is up while revenues have flattened. He says that could bring down the reserves.

"I think probably 2011 we would've seen the book allowances cut in half the first year, eliminated the second year, and then the student fees gone the third year."

To prevent that, the House unanimously passed a bill that would put percentages to those cuts. Only when the reserves dropped by 8% would book funding be cut in half. At 16%, the scholarship would no longer cover books. And if the reserves took a 25% hit, student fees would be eliminated from funding as well.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Lottery breaks sales record

The Georgia lottery has broken a record. The lottery sold almost $1.7 billion worth of tickets in the first half of fiscal year 2008. That tops a record set during the same period last year by almost $133 million. Lottery profits fund Georgia's HOPE scholarship program, which pays in-state tuition for good students. The money also funds pre-kindergarten.

Flap over bonuses for lottery officials

Some top Georgia Republicans have called for a review of bonuses paid to Georgia Lottery officials. Nearly three-million dollars in bonuses were collected this year by Lottery president Margaret DeFrancisco and her employees. Some state legislators are baffled by the amounts, in the wake of tightened requirements for the lottery-funded HOPE scholarship. House Higher Education Committee Chair Bill Hembree has called the bonus figures "insane". Lottery officials say the bonuses are needed to stay competitive and keep employees focused. They also say funding to HOPE has increased.

Call for Georgia Lottery probe

Top Georgia Republicans are calling for a review of the bonuses awarded to Georgia Lottery officials. Georgia Lottery President Margaret DeFrancisco and her employees collected nearly $$3 million in bonuses this year, a sum that has mystified Georgia legislators.

(The Associated Press)

Columbus man wins big in GA lottery

David Huff, a 46-year-old Columbus resident and father of four can start living large, and he's got the first $5 million installment of a $20 million Georgia Lottery check to do it.

On Tuesday, Huff's itch to win had him invest $20 in a scratch-off game card at a gas station convenience store near the city's Civic Center.

What's he planning to do with the massive windfall? "I'd like to own my own business, let someone else do the work," Huff told the Ledger-Enquirer.