Tell lawmakers: Don’t raid our trust funds!

Lottery proceeds, and offshore oil and tobacco settlement funds, are at risk.

HB 236 by Rep. Rob Shadoin (R-Ruston) is a proposed constitutional amendment that would abolish several funds that support K-12 and higher education. The money would go into the state general fund instead.

What would we lose?

• Lottery funds dedicated to K-12 public education’s Minimum Foundation Program.
• 8(g) offshore oil settlement funds dedicated to public education.
• Tobacco settlement funds dedicated to health care and education:

                The TOPS Fund
                The Millenium Trust Fund
                The Health Excellence Fund
                The Education Excellence Fund

• Various other funds for coastal restoration, revenue stabilization, etc.

We were promised that lottery money, and offshore oil and tobacco settlement funds, would be used for specific purposes. HB 236 would ask voters to undo those dedications and give the legislature free rein to spend the money through the general fund.

K-12 and higher education are already underfunded. Redirecting these dedicated funds would put our schools and our colleges and universities at risk.

Send a message. Tell your Representative to respect the will of the voters, and use these funds only for their dedicated purposes!