Senate Votes to Abolish Scandal-Plagued Scholarship Program - Chicago Sun-Times
The Illinois Senate voted Thursday to end the abuse-ridden legislative scholarship program, which for more than a century has enabled lawmakers to dole out free college tuition to the children of campaign donors and other political insiders.
The Senate’s 43-5 vote, with five members voting present, now sends the measure back to the House, which approved a similar abolition of the legislative tuition waiver program in March.
“You wouldn’t think we’d take relish in eliminating 1,400 opportunities for kids to go to college, and that’s what the bill does,” said Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago). “But there were abuses.”
Cullerton changed the House bill abolishing the program by adding language to set up a panel to scrutinize $414 million in tuition waivers beyond those that legislators themselves hand out — such as half-off tuition waivers public university employees can claim for themselves or their children.