Guest AuthorA pair of creative, well-purposed bills have been drafted and filed for at least the fourth time this year. These bills, SB 466 and HB 361, would create a special State Lottery scratch-off ticket for funding breast cancer research.
The “Ticket for a Cure” would be available for a limited period of five years, with proceeds going equally to each Florida university that has medical research capabilities.
It is an interesting idea, but if history predicts, the measures are unlikely to move this year.
There may be a few reasons why.
First, this is a huge floodgate to open. The history of specialty license tags illustrates why.
In October 1987, collegiate license plates were established to raise money for scholarships for Florida’s nine state universities. This was the first case of Florida enabling residents to donate to a cause of their choice via license tag selection.
In 1989, the “Florida Salutes the Veteran” plate was established, generating money for the construction and maintenance of veterans’ nursing homes, and in 1990, the “Save the Manatee” plate was established to raise funds for manatee research. The 1991 Florida Panther plate, the 1992 Olympic Spirit plate, and the 1994 Special Olympics tags followed. Then in 1995, five new specialty tags were established; and in 1996, six.
Today, Florida authorizes a total of 123 specialty plates. This means that Floridians are able to direct their pocketbooks — and their public identities — toward issues they care about. But it also means a substantial dilution of funds compared with supporting a smaller set of tags and their charities.
This brings us back to the proposed scratch-off bills.
The promise of Florida’s Lottery system is to support public education. The idea that the Lotto could be used to support other worthy causes is interesting, but risky. Breast cancer may be the cause du jour, and were it to be the only “specialty scratch-off” permitted, public education wouldn’t take a huge loss from the new ticket’s inclusion.
But what happens after it passes? Every other group begins its own pitch for a “specialty” Lotto ticket. The history of license tags shows how quickly these could proliferate.
Therefore, here are my unsolicited suggestions for a more viable bill that fulfills the goals of the “Ticket for a Cure” while protecting the educational aim of the Florida Lotto.
First, expand the ticket’s mission. Breast cancer is a worthy cause — but it is far from the only or most pressing for Florida’s population. For example, Alzheimer’s disease has become the most costly to individuals and to the state, and has no treatments or cures. Other disease such as ALS or childhood cancers come to mind as well.
If the Ticket for a Cure scratch-off were to direct money toward public universities to fulfill research goals with a wider scope, these funds may be more appealing overall and more productively spent.
Second, place in statute a strict limitation on the number of specialty Lotto tickets that can be operational at any given time. In 2020, when the Ticket for a Cure would expire, another specialty Lotto ticket could take over — but not until that time.
These two amendments may address lawmakers’ concerns and breathe life into this bill — and bring hope for Floridians who face devastating diseases.
