Subcommittee adopts amendment to HB2080 changing Tennessee Lottery board appointments and audit recipients

The Department and Agency Subcommittee voted to add amendment 014937 to House Bill 2080, altering how the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation’s board is constituted and specifying officials who must receive copies of any audits.

Chairlady Littleton, the bill sponsor, told the panel that “this bill rewrites Section 3 … the appointments to the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation Board of Directors,” and that the amendment removes a sunset provision and expands the list of officials entitled to audit copies.

The change increases the statutory board composition from seven to nine members, allocating appointments among the governor, the speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor, according to the sponsor’s explanation. Representative Miller asked for clarification about the current makeup and whether appointments would be regional, saying he wanted “a clarification and an understanding on the amendment and the current makeup of the board.”

The committee briefly recessed to consult counsel. Matt Mundy, legal counsel, pointed to the bill text saying “all appointments under subsection B must be made to ensure diversity of professional experience, geography, and demographic representation consistent with the mission of the corporation.” That provision was cited in response to a question about whether regional or other representational criteria would govern appointments.

After return, the clerk opened the roll for a recorded vote on placing the amendment on the bill; the clerk announced seven ayes, zero noes and one present not voting. With the amendment on the bill, the subcommittee reported House Bill 2080 to the full State and Local Committee for further consideration.

With no further business, members moved to adjourn to the call of the chair; the subcommittee adjourned subject to the chair’s call.

What’s next: House Bill 2080, as amended, will proceed to the full State and Local Committee. The subcommittee record shows the amendment number (014937), the change to Section 3, and the vote tally reported to the clerk.