Feb
5
As many of you may know, Governor Perdue has recently proposed State Resolution (SR) 655, an amendment to the state’s budget and lottery bill for this year which would fulfill former Governor Zell Miller’s original vision of the Georgia Lottery guaranteeing that all proceeds from lottery purchases would be committed solely to funding the HOPE scholarship and pre-K programs. SR 655 was struck down in a party-line vote in the state assembly as Democrats fought not only to give Governor Perdue a political defeat, but also to keep alive their ability to funnel lottery proceeds into pet projects in their own districts.
The GA Association of College Republicans (GACR) has sprung into action and has a rally in Atlanta this Wednesday, February 8th. It will be at the Capitol at 11am, on the Washington Street steps. We encourage you to attend this event and let the State Senate know that HOPE is important to you, as this battle against committing funds to the program will only weaken the program and may put your college funding at risk. For carpool information, e-mail Team Leader Director Caitlyn Cooper at <a href=”mailto:caitlyn@uga.edu” class=”link12ptRed” >caitlyn@uga.edu</a>. We hope that you will be able to attend this event, as WE ONLY NEED TO CHANGE 2 SENATORS’ VOTES TO PASS THIS AMENDMENT.
If you cannot attend, there is still much you can do to fight for the funding for your HOPE scholarship. We encourage you to, at the very least, place a phone call to your state Senator, as well as write to the editors of the Red and Black, the Athens Banner-Herald, and the AJC, telling them how much the HOPE scholarship means to you, and therefore how important State Resolution 655 is to you. We hope to see you in Atlanta on Wednesday!
