Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, today introduced a new version of his bill to make the names of all winners of the Idaho Lottery who win $600 or more secret. The new version, introduced by the House State Affairs Committee this morning, still would keep the names of all such winners secret initially unless the winners give written authorization to release their names, but would allow the names to be given out in response to public records requests six months after the date the prize is claimed.

“Concern was raised about there being no ability to submit a public records request and get information,” Luker told the committee. “Of course, the concern there is the privacy of the prize winner, and there needs to be some balancing perhaps. So in order to find a balance to allow some release to verify that there really is a winner and that type of thing, it allows a delayed release.”

Luker said that approach “allows a period of time for the winner to have their affairs in order, and perhaps the interest in that particular prize has waned, so the initial wave of hucksters that come and try to pester these people may have subsided.”

Earlier, he said the issue was brought to him by “an elderly constituent who had a lucky day with the lottery.”