Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner likely to sign bill backing higher education funding

Bruce Rauner, the governor of Illinois, is likely to sign a senate bill that would allocate $600 million in emergency financing to government-run state universities and recipients under Monetary Award Program. The bill is presently in its tenth month without a financial plan. The bill comes amid a closure plan by the Chicago State University, a state-run university educating several poor and minority students.

As part of the bill, state-owned four-year universities would get $356 million from the funding while the CSU and community-oriented colleges in the state would receive $20 million and $74 million respectively. According to the statement released by Catherine Kelly, press secretary of Rauner, the senate bill would activate further budget discussions.

The funding move nearly failed Thursday night following an argument on the financing to social welfares being included in the bill. But, the additional financing idea lost its ground before the senate bill was approved on Friday. Policy makers like Michael Madigan, speaker of the house, condemned the absence of financing for social services.

If the governor carries on with his reluctance to the bill, his aversion would end up in destroying the safety of the penurious, the speaker noted in a statement. He added that Rauner should view the education funding package not as a mere explanation, but as an emergency help to the needy.

The Daily Northwestern quoted a report from Chicago Tribune, which stated that the already executed job cuts will not be cancelled with this emergency monetary assistance to state-run universities. Representatives from the universities denied responding immediately to the matter.

Meanwhile, Daily Herald reported that Rauner has requested for a property tax stoppage while at the same time asking for anti-union policies. The governor voted in favour of a property tax freeze, which comprised Chicago as well as other home-rule cities.

"It's unfair in my mind to single out the non-home rule units of government, which have even less capability to handle their finances in other ways," David Harris, a state representative, said in a statement.

According to DAILY EGYPTIAN, the bill offers nearly $170 million for the Monetary Award Program, which benefits college students across the state. Last year, the program obtained $373 million from the funding scheme, up 54% from the present year.

Apart from the education financing scheme to particular community colleges and universities, the senate bill also promised to provide over $69 million to finance MAP grants. Meanwhile, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, the public high school, was promised with a $6 million grants and the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System with a $11 million fund.

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Bruce Rauner, Illinois, Catherine Kelly, Monetary Award Program, higher education funding, property tax freeze

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