Butler goes ‘all in’ with bill

Published 12:11 am Thursday, January 19, 2012

JACKSON — If a good education will increase someone’s chance of hitting the opportunity jackpot, Sen. Kelvin Butler wants to help increase their odds — and he wants to fund it with a state lottery.

Butler, D-Magnolia, has filed a bill that if passed will fund college tuition for students who graduate high school with a 3.0 Grade Point Average. The bill requires that students maintain that GPA throughout college to keep the scholarship.

“(Senate Bill 2027) is just trying to encourage our young folks to go to school and get education, and at the same time we help them pursue such a lifetime experience,” Butler said.

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“So often, our young people have the talents and not the funds, and I think it is a way the state of Mississippi can reach out and help them.”

A second bill Butler has introduced, No. 2130, answers the question of how he wants to see the scholarship program funded. It is known as the Mississippi Lottery for Education Act.

The bill would require the lottery to be administered by the state gaming commission, which would direct 45 percent of funds generated to prize money, 4 percent of funds to each county proportionate to the number of lottery tickets sold there and a “reasonable percentage” — as determined by the gaming commission — to the gaming commission to defray the costs of administering the lottery. The remainder of the proceeds would be directed to the Mississippi Hope Scholarship Trust Fund, which would be created by the act.

The bill requires that the trust fund, which would be administered by the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board, would only be spent to fund the scholarship program.

“Georgia has a similar program, and it is my understanding that it is doing wonderful in helping young people go to college,” Butler said.

And while Butler is focused on helping young people get an education, they are by no means the only ones he wants to give access to postsecondary education. He’s also introduced Senate Bill 2026, which would provide tuition to anyone age 65 or older.

Stating that while 65 is no longer considered old, Butler said that anyone that age who wanted to go back to school would be doing it because they were determined to do so.

“If they want to go back to school, and you have a classroom size of 20, why can’t we add a couple of senior citizens into that class?” he said.

Senate Bills 2026 and 2027 have been referred to the universities and colleges committee and to the appropriations committee.

Senate Bill 2130 has been referred to the finance and tourism committees.