Springfield Votes To End Legislative Scholarships
By Chuck Sudo in News on May 22, 2012 9:15PM
Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign into law HB3810, which would abolish the General Assembly scholarship program, after the Illinois House voted 79-32 in favor of the measure Monday. The State Senate had previously voted in favor of abolishing the program, which waived tuition for their awardees in order so they could attend college.
The scholarship program, which has been around for nearly a century, has come under criticism in recent years after a series of investigations by the Sun-Times and the Better Government Association into how they were awarded and to whom they were awarded. Federal authorities subpoenaed the records of former Rep. Robert Molaro (D-Chicago), who awarded $94,000 in waivers to four children of a friend and longtime campaign contributor. The awardees did not live in Molaro's district, which was the only qualification for receiving the scholarships.
African American legislators are largely opposed to the measure, as they claim abolishing the program would hurt the chances of lower income students to attend college. A Sun-Times report from March found that state Sen. Annazette Collins (D-Chicago) awarded scholarships to five students who listed her former home as their in-district residence, despite official records to the contrary. (Collins was defeated in a primary election by Patricia Van Pelt Watkins, who used the scholarship controversy as a campaign bullet point.)
The State House had been trying to eliminate the program for years, but was continually thwarted by the Senate. Recently, Senate President John Cullerton announced he was in favor of abolishing the program.
Quinn said Monday:
“(T)here is no place for a political scholarship program in Illinois . . . Scholarships, paid for by Illinois taxpayers, should be awarded only to those with merit who are in true financial need.”