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Committee sends lottery governance bill on with negative recommendation after testimony
Summary
Senator Roberts' bill would reconstitute the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation board and increase transparency; the lottery chair testified about long-term vendor contracts and clean audits, but the committee moved the bill on with a negative recommendation to State and Local after a clerk tally.
Senator Roberts outlined legislation to reconstitute the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation board and bring the entity more in line with standard governance and transparency rules. The sponsor said the measure aligns appointment authority with recent practice—three appointments by the Speaker of the Senate, three by the Speaker of the House and three by the governor—and removes some exemptions from open meetings and public records laws.
Will Carver, who identified himself as chairperson of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, testified that lottery sales fluctuate with jackpot cycles but that the corporation expects to return about $30 million more to education this year compared with the prior year. He added that "Since inception, the lottery has, given over $8,000,000,000 to students in this state," and that the lottery has 22 straight clean state audits and regular third-party audits. Carver told members he opposed a sunset provision because long-term contracts with vendors require stability.
After debate and procedural checks with the chief clerk, the committee moved the bill to the State and Local Committee with a negative recommendation; committee records during the clerks' check were reported as 2 yes, 4 no, and 2 present/not voting.
