Gov. Nathan Deal backs a bill that will lower the requirements for the HOPE Grant for technical college students to a 2.0 GPA from 3.0. The requirement for the grant had been 2.0 until state leaders raised it amid budget concerns as Deal first took office in 2011. The change is expected to cost between $5 million and $8 million in the 2014 fiscal year budget, and the state will use the recent growth in lottery revenues to pay for it.