MISSOURIANS DESERVE TO DECIDE LOTTERY FUND USE

Almost eight years have passed since Missouri voters implemented a state lottery, and many Missourians, we have found, remain under the misconception that lottery revenue is used only to fund public education.

That, of course, is not so. Instead, money generated from the sale of lottery tickets goes into the state's general revenue fund, which provides the primary source of funding for much of state government. Education gets a portion of the general fund, which, in addition to the lottery, gathers its wealth from a number of sources.

The misconception lies in the fact that when proponents of a state lottery touted reasons the lottery should be established, one of their primary selling points was that revenue generated by lottery sales would go to education. True, some goes to education, but some also goes to many other programs and services, as decided by the legislature. Although that fact was widely known and publicized, many people still directly draw a correlation between the words, lottery and education funding.

A Missouri House bill introduced by Rep. Ken Jacob may give Missouri voters a chance in the Nov. 3 general election to determine whether lottery revenue will be earmarked strictly for education. The measure has gained first-round approval on a voice vote, and an amended version of the bill passed 71-62. It will take 82 House votes for passage, which would send it to the Senate.

While its sponsor admits final passage may be difficult because it would allow video lottery machines that pay off to be in bars, passage would allow Missourians to say whether they want lottery revenue earmarked for education.

Jacob said the measure guarantees that every penny of lottery money goes to education. The measure gives extra money to higher education from the machines; he estimated higher education would gain at least $80 million a year from the 25 percent of machine profits.

The bill also earmarks all lottery ticket-sales profits for public school education programs starting in 1995. The bill's sponsor estimated that could mean an extra $50 million a year for the schools.

The lottery turned $76.1 million over to the state in fiscal year 1991. Although no one can predict how much it will generate each year, lottery sales have grown and likely will continue to do so.

A statewide referendum would be welcome, and earmarking lottery revenue for education would help ease funding shortfalls that currently face both higher and secondary education and threaten the very existence of some of Missouri's 540 public school districts.

We urge the legislature to adopt some form of the measure so that Missourians may decide once an for all on the question of whether they want lottery-sales proceeds to go to education.

We suspect they do.