text: INITIAL DRAFT OF LOTTERY LEGISLATION PROPERLY ASSIGNS FUNDS TO SCHOOLS - Sun Sentinel
  INITIAL DRAFT OF LOTTERY LEGISLATION PROPERLY ASSIGNS FUNDS TO SCHOOLS
  A first draft of one proposed bill implementing a Florida state lottery provides a good starting point for public and legislative debate, especially because it properly allocates all lottery revenues to education.
  That idea is sure to face opposition from Gov. Bob Martinez and some state lawmakers who have already talked about diverting the revenue for other purposes, such as fighting crime or providing health care to the indigent.
  Any such diversion must be prevented. Such broken promises and lottery revenue diversions have been common in many other lottery states, damaging public faith in elected officials and in the lottery itself.
  The lottery was sold to Floridians with the promise that the money would go for education. Even the ballot wording said that lottery money would go into an educational trust fund. But because of legal technicalities, state lawmakers retain the power to spend the estimated $350 million a year in lottery revenues any way they wish.
  Deciding just how to implement the lottery is expected to be a complex, controversial issue at the legislative session that begins April 7. Lawmakers should heed Martinez' advice to move slowly and carefully, learn from the successes and failures of other states, and do the job right.
  This bill, just passed by a House Regulated Industries and Licensing subcommittee, will provide a framework for future action. It evoked cautious praise from a number of observers, and that reaction is justified.
  It seems reasonable, as the bill proposes, to set up a separate, independent government department to run the lottery on a full-time basis, rather than put it under an existing agency like the Cabinet or some other department which has numerous other responsibilities.
  But another idea sure to invite Martinez' opposition is for the governor and Cabinet to share joint responsibility for appointing or removing the head of a new Department of the State Lottery, something Martinez wants to do alone.
  The bill also provides that governor, House and Senate would share in appointing five members of a lottery advisory commission.
  The idea of shared power of appointment and removal works well now with a number of state department heads, so there is no reason not to continue it. But just who makes the appointments is less important than the integrity and ability of those appointed.
  Another excellent provision requires retail stores selling lottery tickets to display the estimated odds of winning a prize. This "truth in advertising" requirement could help give credibility to the lottery, although it might turn off some ticket buyers because the true odds are generally very low.
  In other states, politicians and lottery officials have come under criticism for failing to give the real odds of winning each prize, and for using misleading advertising and promotion tactics. Florida officials must refuse to succumb to such shoddy behavior.
  This bill is only one of many already filed or in progress dealing with the lottery. Before a final version is adopted, there will be a lot of fine-tuning by legislators, lobbyists for potential lottery vendors, retailers, the pari- mutuel industry and other state agencies. But the first draft shows a great deal of common sense and fairness that amounts to a giant step in the right direction.