SPRINGFIELD — Even with severe state budget problems it appears it will again be difficult to eliminate the controversial General Assembly scholarships this year.
A special, three-member Senate subcommittee heard two nearly identical bills Tuesday morning that would eliminate the program that, according to Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, costs Illinois public universities $13.5 million a year in lost tuition and fee payments.
One of the bills to end the century-old program was sponsored by Frerichs, the other came from Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont.
Both would eventually do away with the program that allows each lawmaker to award up to eight one-year scholarships to any public college or university in the state.
Representatives of both the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Student Assistant Commission appeared at the hearing in support of the bills. No University of Illinois representatives were present.
Although no votes were taken on the bills, subcommittee chair Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, made it clear she opposed them. Even if the bills were to get out of committee, Lightford predicted an unfriendly reception in the full Senate.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services