[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6336452,"mediaKeyId","2284451-6ea48ace2c3a5e9a368e56fcf9e3094d","parentId",2284451,"title","Officials warn of lottery revenue shortfall; sports-wagering funds expected to partly offset gap","audioSeconds",445,"startMs",1803000,"endMs",2248000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2284451-6ea48ace2c3a5e9a368e56fcf9e3094d&start=1803&end=2248","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2284451-6ea48ace2c3a5e9a368e56fcf9e3094d/thumbnail_1803000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6336452/Tennessee/Officials-warn-of-lottery-revenue-shortfall-sports-wagering-funds-expected-to-partly-offset-gap","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6336452-2c6a36da734d7e789eab8c6058d3e5f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150842&Signature=gPupwKYTF9ATdD~ZCZ9LWsJGbiWx4RMKQvw6xuMsXZ-PpfEGvc53Fth5HUCGcsqdpdL2lLCMRdshp4Q9LcMt0T8XdnHh4R3VmhTmwd1NQU-3tgwXfR0EzSVJkaaq2-1ph02Yee8dDELl78uKLca1GsVzmZ7UeX-qBJrm5owqpSWiASRpieWlC-PvbkY44LE4EQc0y7UVqUNIjR~TLRwnHXUmLq6vTp-sXv0ZHSchoNkfQ~7DsDtg9vdvq40yDbJSQa-BXbRspDVvyn5tNPvZt7iTWz2~VN47YjUSejeOgIokucS0HoIoYoNGclHT6gZCRRR4~vqductFLH1eK844Zw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","TN State Legislature","date","2025-02-12T00:00:00Z","article","State higher-education officials told a House higher education subcommittee on Wednesday that lottery-funded scholarship revenues are running well below earlier projections for the current fiscal year, creating a potential budget gap for lottery-funded programs.

Lou Hanneman of the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation and the Higher Education Commission and Peter Abernathy, the commission’s chief compliance officer, provided the committee with program counts, revenue projections and descriptions of contingency mechanisms. Hanneman said the state administers 13 lottery-funded programs that together serve roughly 60,000 students and that lottery-funded programs total about $470 million annually. He said state-funded programs outside the lottery, principally the Tennessee Student Assistance Award, total about $113 million per year.

Hanneman told the committee that the funding board’s November projection for lottery revenues this year ranged from $456 million to $479 million, but first-half receipts have fallen short by about $40 million. \"We are through first 2 quarters, and we are about 40,000,000 under that projected rate,\" he said. If current receipts hold, Hanneman said the office would expect about $428 million in lottery receipts for the year.

Abernathy explained how receipts flow through the system and how sports-wagering revenue has been used as a backstop: the Lottery Corporation remits quarterly revenues to the Lottery for Education account, which pays HOPE, Aspire, dual-enrollment, Reconnect, Helping Heroes and other lottery programs. Abernathy said that, by law, if lottery receipts exceed scholarship costs in a year, a transfer (currently projected at roughly $30 million) goes to the Tennessee Promise endowment; the endowment and its investment earnings then fund Tennessee Promise scholarships.

Committee members asked whether the shortfall might reflect shifting consumer behavior to online gaming or sports wagering. Hanneman deferred specifics to the Lottery Corporation but said sports-wagering privilege tax receipts have provided a second revenue stream this year that will partly offset the shortfall. He noted that sports-wagering privilege tax amounts are transferred under current law and that HB6004 (the Education Freedom Scholarship legislation, cited in discussion) redirected sports-wagering funds to a treasurer-managed account for K–12 maintenance projects but preserves a rule that sports-wagering dollars will make the lottery whole in a shortfall year before other transfers occur.

Officials emphasized contingency accounts: the Lottery for Education account holds a $10 million one-time reserve and a $100 million shortfall account that can be drawn down; any use of the shortfall account must be restored over subsequent years. Hanneman and Abernathy also warned that natural program growth — especially in dual enrollment, which has grown 182% in five years, and Tennessee Reconnect adult enrollment — could increase lottery-program expenditures in coming years.

Committee members pressed for follow-up data. Representative Lehi asked whether the state gets a larger share when consumers buy lottery tickets compared with betting online; Hanneman said he would obtain the detailed figures from the Lottery Corporation. Representative Glenn asked what would happen if sports-wagering receipts cannot cover a lottery shortfall; Hanneman described the shortfall-account mechanics and said a multi-year shortfall could force prorating awards or tightening eligibility, though he noted the state has rarely needed to take such steps.

Officials framed the current numbers as cautionary rather than catastrophic: they said the situation to date can be managed through sports-wagering transfers and reserve accounts but urged lawmakers to account for the revenue risk when considering new or expanded lottery-funded programs.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Higher Education Subcommittee\tFeb 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","State higher-education officials told a legislative subcommittee that lottery-funded scholarship revenues are tracking about $40 million below earlier projections and that sports-wagering transfers and reserve accounts are expected to blunt the gap; they urged caution on new or expanded lottery-funded programs.","taxTitle","Higher Education, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Tennessee","taxId",79845,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6336457,"Panel approves making Promise mentor pilot permanent, allocates $7 million in general-fund request",178,1625000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2284451-6ea48ace2c3a5e9a368e56fcf9e3094d&start=1625&end=1803","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2284451-6ea48ace2c3a5e9a368e56fcf9e3094d/thumbnail_1625000.jpg","/articles/6336457/Tennessee/Panel-approves-making-Promise-mentor-pilot-permanent-allocates-7-million-in-general-fund-request","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6336457-ac32caec6acc338e859c5cad3bfbb176/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150842&Signature=VGsk39ivZ5bUt8Ts2gCeMZq4E7jOTJJR0iu77y~BTkNxuHDfK4x~VqECllsoti1JSJUSyiO3H1rAYaerucGOowqknbc2IDYFA4C0Jw1dNHiIsApFdY6lbTZZB-QFxt31dlTpVFmuXB9dp6TAIckQWEYIeL9lpqDOYvPeYH077ekV8dcSb8DLDcRkTfYruP9MEVEEU0TggiLUUFAwz60GFKVG-IFAm~aDxtz-hLX6m90Ko7vXd3K0gUodGpaXRcxWhHFHk4VNz33uMBWFG2MQ07LSrBomaOo9lW~CKrXH6SFmxdPfPobPQ-xsXnfMBYXj4aeJCBuooTLLLlQyU3dSjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A House higher education subcommittee approved House Bill 148 on Wednesday, a bill that would make permanent a pilot program within Tennessee Promise that assigns mentors to participating students and allows a coach to authorize up to $1,000 for emergency needs.

Chairman White, who presented the bill, described the pilot as a response to students who did not return for a second year because of short-term financial or life problems. \"Each student will be assigned a mentor coach during their time, 4 years or 2 years in the program and that this spender coach then we would have up to $1,000 that the student can draw from,\" Chairman White said. He added the money would not be given directly to students; a coach would approve expenditures for emergency items, such as car repairs, that otherwise would keep a student from returning.

The sponsor said the pilot began in 2022 and that participation was associated with large improvements in returns for low-income students: \"We have found out that the graduation rates for our low income students in Tennessee Promise has increased 6 times. It was about 6 percent of those returning. Now it's 6 times that,\" Chairman White said.

House Bill 148 requests a $7,000,000 appropriation from the general fund to support the program permanently; the sponsor said the fiscal review office previously misunderstood aspects of the fiscal note.

Committee members asked questions about the program and its funding; no roll-call of individual votes was printed in the transcript. The clerk reported the committee vote as \"6 aye and 0 nays.\" The bill passed the subcommittee and will go to the full education committee for further consideration.","A subcommittee approved House Bill 148 to make permanent a Tennessee Promise mentor pilot that assigns coaches to students and provides up to $1,000 per student for emergency needs; sponsors said the program improved return rates and requested a $7 million general-fund appropriation.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6336462,"Higher Education Subcommittee adopts amendment clarifying Guard tuition benefit, advances bill unanimously",507,1106000,1613000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2284451-6ea48ace2c3a5e9a368e56fcf9e3094d&start=1106&end=1613","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2284451-6ea48ace2c3a5e9a368e56fcf9e3094d/thumbnail_1106000.jpg","/articles/6336462/Tennessee/Higher-Education-Subcommittee-adopts-amendment-clarifying-Guard-tuition-benefit-advances-bill-unanimously","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6336462-661ccf668da649ea85b02772e6a68a5f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150842&Signature=nUIhuBUXY4vVxliF9OpmtJpApDgtqsWxQzQfLuKJmMWhsjoejpgn5Mw4810Kj8vmRbyUpMKmubUfTCW1XYragVc91gH3yERfRSOgeyMnW~npVVt-KjKTFoA9zyDe-6huEhEkGRXPXpywds82QxhdQR9WXYn7vPQGgE4p3oj1XrX6yxZDK5kfc5EaYeCFN0IiN9wvEJjnMzwCSilCtLDa9KABLS3A1pb3pNuDh2syPoDUgMCzl0JiqnyNuGauZ~Few3BwJiboxg5qrGW5ELTTanX8psI~rKnqQNWaL0zZRqDSEUnARSozFtaDCxK~wBcCOQGyLQhsqJD6hwrrzGb7qA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A House higher education subcommittee on Wednesday adopted a clarifying amendment to the Strong Act and voted the amended bill out of committee unanimously.

The amendment (barcode 3428) makes explicit that the Department of Military will pay “100% of the maximum resident in-state tuition” and that the program will operate on a last-dollar basis after other state and federal programs. The committee then approved the amended measure by voice vote and later recorded a 6–0 committee vote to advance the bill.

The clarification was offered as an amendment before debate on the bill. Leader Lambert, who presented the amendment, described it as “a clarifying amendment. It clarifies who pays whom and how much. The Department of Military shall pay 100% of the maximum resident in state tuition. And it makes clear that this program pays last dollar.”

The bill as explained to the committee makes four principal changes to the existing Strong Act: it removes the statute’s sunset (the current program was scheduled to sunset June 30, 2025), it increases the maximum allowable credit hours covered from 20 to 30, it shortens the deadline for members to request tuition reimbursement from 90 days to 45 days, and it defines “mandatory fees” (lab fees, parking fees, technology fees, library fees, among others) to clarify which non-tuition charges the benefit will cover.

A sponsor explained the resident cap is intended to limit what is paid for private institutions: \"This establishes what will be paid to that private institution or that TCAT, the maximum resident in state tuition,\" the sponsor said, noting an example that a student at a private institution would receive only the resident in-state tuition equivalent used by public institutions.

Committee members asked whether the bill limits benefits only to public institutions; presenters replied that the language is intended to set the reimbursement cap (resident in-state rate) regardless of whether the member attends a public, private, or technical college.

Presenters provided program use data: 24 TCATs and community colleges, seven state universities, 22 private colleges and universities, and four historically Black colleges and universities have participated. Usage examples cited included 95 students from MTSU on the Army side and 75 on the Air side; separate counts for master’s-level participants were described by the sponsor.

Sponsors noted the governor’s proposed budget includes $4,084,000 to continue funding the Strong Act; the bill itself contains no new sunset but still requires funding to continue operations.

The committee approved the clarifying amendment and then advanced the amended bill by a 6–0 vote. The committee did not record individual member roll-call votes in the transcript; the clerk reported the tally as “6 aye and 0 nays.”

The bill will move to the full education committee for further consideration.","The committee adopted a clarifying amendment to legislation that defines how the Department of Military pays tuition for National Guard members, expands allowable credit hours, shortens the reimbursement window and clarifies covered fees; the full amended bill passed the subcommittee 6-0.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Officials warn of lottery revenue shortfall; sports-wagering funds expected to partly offset gap

Panel approves making Promise mentor pilot permanent, allocates $7 million in general-fund request

Higher Education Subcommittee adopts amendment clarifying Guard tuition benefit, advances bill unanimously