Leave criteria for receiving HOPE alone. Its original mission was & should remain recognizing academic achievement. Thanks gubernatorial candidates.

From The Augusta Chronicle:

To prevent the HOPE Scholarship from running out of money, Georgia Democratic legislators are calling for excluding students from families with high incomes. But the lawmakers are unlikely to get the change past the next governor.

Both Republicans running for governor, Karen Handel and Nathan Deal, told members of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday that they oppose changing the popular scholarship to a needs-based benefit.

Democratic nominee Roy Barnes said Wednesday that he wouldn't go along either.

Late Tuesday, Democrats issued a statement calling for restoring the scholarship to its original design, from when voters approved the lottery in 1992, that funds it along with the pre-kindergarten program.
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From The Macon Telegraph:

When then-Gov. Zell Miller first created the HOPE Scholarship in 1993, only families making less than $66,000 per year could qualify.

After a successful first year, that cap was raised in 1994 to $100,000, and in 1995 it was lifted altogether.