By Eric Stock
SPRINGFIELD – Calling the measure smoke and mirrors, Illinois Republicans have fought back an attempt to override a measure to fund college MAP grants and two-year colleges.
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, voted against the measure which fell two votes short of the 71 required for an override (69-48). He and House Republicans have pushed separate bills to fund higher education while giving the governor authority to sweep funds to pay for it.
“The reality is there are other way to get immediate funding out of the door, this is not going to do it,” Brady said. “(The bill is) well intended, but it’s not going to do it.”
Rauner and the GOP complain there’s no money to cover the bill.
State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said the state is broke but yet those in Springfield want to continue spending money.
“It’s an absolute outrage that the state of Illinois is in its eighth month without a budget, yet today (House Speaker) Michael Madigan and the Chicago Democrats want to spend over $700 million in money the state of Illinois doesn’t have,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell added Illinois has $7.5 billion in unpaid bills while 48,000 businesses are owed money by the state.
State Rep. Chris Welch, D-Westchester, repeated what his constituents have told him, that the Monetary Award Program is important.
“MAP matters. That’s the message I’ve been hearing from students in my district,” Welch said.
State Rep. Tom Bennett, R-Gibson City, said the measure is a sign of more of the same in Springfield.
“This is more of the same smoke and mirrors that has been going on in Springfield for a long time,” Bennett said. “Over the last 14 years, we have over promised, overspent again and again to where we find ourselves in this serious problem today.
The veto override passed in the Senate in a, 37-17 vote earlier Wednesday.
In a statement following the House vote, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office said, “We continue to urge Democratic leaders not to recess until the General Assembly passes a bipartisan proposal to fund MAP and higher education.”
Late Wednesday evening, Madigan’s office said forthcoming amendments to existing bills contain “an agreed funding source and appropriations for higher education, MAP and a number of human service programs at the same level as was approved by the legislature in May 2015.”
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
Illinois Radio Network contributed to this report.
