In a press conference,Republican State Representative of the 93rd District Norine Hammond said Democrats failed bill to fund community colleges and MAP grant amounted to “promising money we know is not going to be there.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill last month to disperse $397 million for the Monetary Award Program and $324 million for community colleges. The Associated Press reports that in a letter to lawmakers today Rauner says what Democrats call a compromise would plunge the state further into debt.
Rep. Hammond says she’s committed to funding higher education in the state of Illinois but there’s a problem.
“The bill doesn’t not fully fund higher education in the state of Illinois,” Hammond says. “As a matter of fact it picks winners and losers.”
The override vote took place yesterday with the Senate voting yes. The House was two short of the 71 votes needed after two hours of debate.
“I don’t think it’s fair that we choose our community colleges over our four year institutions,” Hammond says.
Illinois is now in it’s ninth month without a budget and it’s been that long since community colleges, public universities or MAP grants have received payments.
Hammond ended her press conference by saying there are bills to fund all state higher education if Democrats are willing to “cooperate.”
