Unclaimed prize money from the Georgia Lottery would automatically be used toward the state’s HOPE scholarships and pre-kindergarten programs under a bill filed by Sen. Rick Jeffares, R-Locust Grove 

The law currently allows unclaimed money to be added back into the lottery pool for future prizes or to be used toward programs related to compulsive gambling. All other lottery revenue already funds HOPE and pre-k programs, although lawmakers this week were told HOPE payouts would drop staring in 2014 because the program — and lottery revenue — can’t keep up with soaring enrollment and tuition.Jeffares said Senate Bill 310 was prompted by news last month that a winning $77 million Powerball ticket — sold in west Georgia — had expired because no one claimed it. More than 30 senators have signed on to the bill, which has bipartisan support in the chamber.Atlanta Journal Constitution  

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Monday is Martin Luther King Day – a federal holiday.  Banks and post offices will be closed and many local governmental offices will be closed.Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters said that county offices and the county courthouse would be closed tomorrow.  The remote dump sites around the county will remain open on Monday.The Town of Trion and the City of Summerville have both announced that they will be closed for Martin Luther King Day on Monday.  Mayor Johnny Ingle with the Town of Trion said that garbage normally picked up on Monday of next week in Trion would be picked up on Tuesday.  If you have an emergency on Monday you should contact Chattooga 911.  Mayor Harry Harvey with the City of Summerville announced that the Summerville City Offices and Public Works crews would be closed next Monday in observance of the federal holiday.  The Town of Lyerly will be operating on a normal schedule next Monday.  Town employees elected to work on Monday and get an extra day of vacation next Christmas according to Town Clerk Joy Hampton.There will be a service honoring Dr. King tomorrow at Oak Hill Missionary Baptist Church in the Gore community at 11 A.M.  Rev. Derrick McDaniel, assistant pastor at Holsey Sinai CME Church in Rome, will be the speaker.  Rev. George Beavers pastor at Oak Hill invites the community to attend.

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Georgia would create a $200 million venture capital fund under legislation introduced by six Republican members of the state House of Representatives. The bill would create a state authority to make investments in Georgia-based start-up, early-stage or growth-stage technology companies, using funds derived from auctioning insurance premium tax credits.

The measure is the outgrowth of a committee of legislators and technology industry insiders. The panel recommended last November that the General Assembly pursue setting up a VC fund.

Georgia has gained a solid reputation in recent years for incubating promising technology businesses. However, once they get off the ground, those companies have tended to move to states like California and Massachusetts to gain better access to venture capital.

The proposed fund is aimed at improving Georgia’s ability to compete with those states and regional VC leaders Virginia and North Carolina in attracting and retaining technology jobs.

The bill was introduced on Tuesday, the second day of the 2012 legislative session. Its leading sponsor, Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, is a member of the House Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation.

Co-sponsors from metro Atlanta include House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, and Donna Sheldon, R-Dacula.

Atlanta Business Chronicle