House Bill 1417 Summary

• Establishes a state lottery administered by the Mississippi Gaming Commission with 45% of proceeds allocated as prize money to players.

• Allocates lottery proceeds as follows: 18% to Mississippi Burn Center construction and operations, 18% to community and junior college scholarships, 18% to prekindergarten program development (by July 1, 2015), and up to 0.5% for commission administrative costs.

• Creates the Mississippi Community and Junior College Scholarship Special Fund to provide tuition scholarships to Mississippi students with 3.0 GPA enrolling full-time at eligible community or junior colleges.

• Creates the Mississippi Burn Center Special Fund to support construction and operation of a burn treatment unit at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

• Restricts lottery ticket sales to persons 18 years or older but allows adults to purchase tickets as gifts for minors; exempts the authorized lottery from existing state laws prohibiting gambling and lotteries.