Legislative Update: Lottery proceeds helping county residents pay for college
By JIMMY HIGDON
14th District State Senator
SEN. JIMMY HIGDON
Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 — As we look forward to the continuation of the 2019 Regular Session, I would like to take some time to address a monetary issue that is mentioned by many constituents: “What happens to the Kentucky Lottery money?” This year, the General Assembly is continuing to focus on the critical matters of Kentucky’s education systems. Nonetheless, it is important to keep students aware of their many post-graduation options.
Through grants, scholarships, or other means, the Kentucky Lottery is helping students scratch college off of their bucket list.
From faculty to funding, to staff, and security, we understand the importance of academic stability and opportunity for students here in the Commonwealth. Certainly, finances play a large role in making these decisions. Each year, unclaimed prize money and other pre-allocated funds help provide in-state financial assistance to students.
Since 1999, the Kentucky Lottery has generated more than $3.4 billion in funds for scholarship and grant programs. Those at the Kentucky Lottery have achieved this incredible feat by taking .26 cents of every Kentucky Lottery sales dollar and investing the money directly back into the state and distributed to the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship Fund (KEES) and the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).
From there, the funds are redistributed through various programs such as the Work-Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program, the Dual Credit Scholarship Program, and the College Access Program (CAP). Roughly 822,826 students across the Commonwealth have received a lottery-funded scholarship or grant, since Fiscal Year 1999. That’s one in every five Kentuckians!
I am happy to report that our district has benefitted from Kentucky Lottery funds. Last year, students in Senate District 14 received 4,207 grants and scholarships worth over $7 million including:
- Casey County- 515 grants and scholarships worth $886,660
- Marion County- 606 grants and scholarships worth $1,019,841
- Nelson County-1,552 grants and scholarships worth $2,613,447
- Spencer County- 672 grants and scholarships worth $1,170,738
- Jefferson County (Part)- 21,493 grants and scholarships worth $34,874,073
Award amounts varied depending on GPA, standardized test scores, enrollment status, and financial need. These programs are not only encouraging our students to pursue higher education, they are incentives to stay in-state and utilize the many colleges, technical schools, and universities that we have here in Kentucky.
The General Assembly will be back in session on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181, on my home phone at 270-692-6945, or e-mail me at Jimmy.Higdon@LRC.ky.gov.
You can share your thoughts with me on Facebook or on Twitter @SenatorJimmy. You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.
Senator Jimmy Higdon (R-Lebanon) represents the 14th District, including Casey, Marion, Nelson, and Spencer counties, as well as part of Jefferson County.
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