The General Assembly scholarships program, a law that costs state universities $13.9 million in FY 2010 according to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, was amended to prevent Illinois legislators from using the scholarships for the benefit of family.
The amendment, which has been sent to Gov. Pat Quinn, would exclude legislators’ relatives, including relatives by marriage, from eligibility.
Some supporters criticized the bill, nonetheless. They say the entire program should be eliminated.
Lauren N Johnson reports for the Illinois Statehouse Bureau Illinois Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican said the bill serves as a protection against nepotism that most legislators thought was already in place. “I was surprised that legislators were not prohibited from giving scholarships to relatives. … This puts one more safeguard into a law which I think should be abolished,” Dillard said.
