NASHVILLE (AP) - Democratic leaders are calling on Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to stop a legislative effort to cut some students' lottery scholarships in half.

They told reporters during a news conference on Monday that the proposal would make more than 5,000 students ineligible for a full scholarship, also called the HOPE scholarship.

The Republican-backed measure would reduce by 50 percent the scholarship for students who do not meet both standardized testing and high school grade requirements.

Right now, students can get a scholarship worth $4,000 annually for four years if they either earn a 3.0 grade point average in high school or score a 21 on their ACT college entrance exam.

Democrats say the lottery's education proceeds have increased 4 percent since 2005, with about $10 million more coming in a year.