Key state officials threw their support Thursday behind a proposal to stop paying student fee and book money to HOPE scholarship recipients as soon as next year.

They argued it would help keep the program solvent while making sure Georgians with good grades can get tuition money into the future.

Gov. Sonny Perdue, in his first public statement on the proposal, said that eliminating student fee payments to HOPE scholars could work to hold down fees for all college students. "There are no market forces to keep them [fees] in check, so I think it's a good place to begin," the governor said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) said lawmakers have long complained that universities used the HOPE program to raise extra money by hiking student fees. It was easy to get fee money at the top colleges, they said, because so many freshmen at those schools receive HOPE.

"If parents and students are forced to pay these add-on fees, they'll receive far more scrutiny," Johnson said. "HOPE should be used for instructional costs and not entertainment and cultural programs."

Sen. George Hooks (D-Americus), one of the Democratic leaders in the chamber, said he thinks "it's a good idea. I know there will be some hue and cry. But I cannot imagine any student going to one of our fine institutions who would begrudge paying the student activities fees.

"I don't know of any student that couldn't take a part-time job to pay for their books and fees."

The proposal picked up steam Wednesday when a state commission agreed that the scholarship should stop paying student fees and book money.

The General Assembly would have to approve the change. The matter will probably come before the General Assembly in January, when lawmakers will consider how to keep the popular scholarship program from running short of money.

Currently under HOPE, students with a B average or higher receive full tuition to a public college and money for books and fees. Technical school students are also eligible, and students at Georgia private colleges may receive a $3,000 annual grant.

If book and fee money were eliminated, HOPE scholars at Georgia Tech would have to pay an additional $1,168 a year for fees and books, according to the state Student Finance Commission. At the University of Georgia, the cost would be $1,170, and at Georgia State University, $1,012.

However, within a few years, the cost of HOPE scholarships and pre-kindergarten classes is expected to exceed lottery revenues by more than $200 million a year. That's due largely to rapid growth in the number of students earning HOPE awards and the rising cost of tuition and fees.

Eliminating payments for student fees and books would save about $125.6 million next year and more than $200 million a year by the end of the decade, according to state estimates.

Not all lawmakers contacted Thursday were not ready to embrace the idea.

"We're not going to jump in right away. We want to see what the big picture is," said House Speaker Terry Coleman (D-Eastman).

House Minority Leader Lynn Westmoreland (R-Sharpsburg) said, "I think there will be some other things looked at before any decisions are made."

But others, including House Minority Whip Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island), suggested the proposal deserves a closer look.

"The question is, are we going to provide HOPE to the largest number of qualified students possible, or are we going to reduce the number of students who get the award and provide books and fees?"

Rep. Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta) said the overriding principle should be preserving the ability of the state to help good students attend college.

"It's too good a thing for us to give up easily, it's too important to Georgia's economic future," Ashe said. "Certainly looking at books and fees is one approach. I think this has real merit that we ought to look at."

-- Staff writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this article.