Since becoming a state senator in 1982, one of my
primary legislative goals was to permit Tennesseans to
vote on a state lottery. The struggle to accomplish this
goal was often lonely and discouraging as the process
to amend our state Constitution is one of the most difficult in
the nation. However, my constituents as well as citizens from
across the state never stopped encouraging me to persevere so
they could vote on their Constitution.
Because Tennesseans never gave up, I never gave up.
On November 5th, the people spoke and changed our state
Constitution to permit the General Assembly to create a
lottery. Although it was the culmination of two decades of
work and the most gratifying legislative victory of my career,
the real work began on November 6th.
The formation of a lottery corporation is the equivalent
of building a Fortune 500 company from scratch.
Representative Chris Newton (R-Cleveland), the House sponsor of the
constitutional referendum and the sponsor of the lottery
legislation, and I are committed to ensuring that Tennessee has the
best lottery in the nation, well-run and above reproach.
To that end we have stated, throughout the
legislative process and the campaign to pass the referendum,
that Tennessee’s lottery and HOPE scholarship program
would be patterned on Georgia’s, which is the nation’s flagship
lottery and scholarship program.
As is always the case when money is involved, all
quarters are heard from. It is perfectly understandable
that every legislator, school administrator, and parent
would want to do what is best for their constituents,
school, and child, respectively. However, the General
Assembly must be fiscally conservative in establishing standards
for the lottery scholarships to assure that we have not
promised what cannot be delivered.
To understand how such can be successfully done,
we need look no farther than Georgia. When
Georgia’s HOPE scholarship program began, a 3.0 was
required for receipt of a HOPE scholarship, although any
student could attend technical school without the GPA
requirement. Students are given a tangible reason to
improve their grades, and the prospect of graduating from
college without incurring debt is beneficial to the student,
the student’s family, and the state’s economy.
Lowering the GPA requirement, as has been
suggested by some, would dilute the power of the program’s
incentive and would be prohibitively expensive. Tennessee’s
lottery scholarship program was touted as a means of
encouraging students to achieve, rewarding their achievement, and
keeping the best and brightest in our state, and I believe that
is what Tennesseans expect our HOPE program to do.
When Georgia’s HOPE began, it was restricted to
students with a family income of less than $66,000, and
the amount of money that a student received from a PELL
grant (federal aid for the truly needy) reduced the amount
of HOPE money available to that student. Further,
qualified students choosing to attend private institutions within
Georgia were granted only a $500 HOPE scholarship while
those who attended Georgia’s public colleges were granted
$3,000. Within a few years, as the Georgia lottery flourished,
the income cap and the PELL grant restriction were both
lifted. Also, students choosing to attend private colleges can
now receive a HOPE scholarship of $3,000 as well as qualify
for the Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant of $1,045, for a
total of $4,045 per academic year.
I’m sure that Georgia would have preferred to begin
HOPE at the level at which it now exists, but the Georgia
Legislature understood that the lottery corporation and the
scholarship program had to be self-supporting and no cost to taxpayers.
It was paramount for Georgia, as it is for Tennessee, to be
fiscally conservative at the beginning of the lottery scholarship
program until it is clear what the revenue will be.
I am confident that Tennessee’s HOPE will be as
successful as Georgia’s and that the questions of income and
public or private institutions will be settled to almost
everyone’s satisfaction. The sooner that can be achieved, the
sooner Tennessee’s students will have HOPE.
Steve Cohen is a Democratic state senator from Memphis.
