Baumgartner calls for an end to General Assembly Scholarships
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 07, 2010/rd
For further information: Ron Deedrick 815.468.6829
MANTENO, IL – As the state’s fiscal situation grows worse by the day, State Senate Candidate Adam Baumgartner (R-Monee) is calling for an end to the much maligned Illinois General Assembly Scholarship program.
“Illinois faces a backlog of over $10 billion in payments and we are failing to pay our universities and schools on time” Baumgartner said. “Even with our fiscal crisis, the General Assembly failed to take meaningful action to eliminate the practice of legislators giving out university scholarships.”
Baumgartner points to the fact the General Assembly Scholarships are nothing more than an unfunded mandate on state universities. When the scholarships are awarded, universities are forced to recoup the lost revenue by placing higher tuition and fees on current students.
“This program was exposed by the Chicago Tribune for a reason, because scholarships were awarded to the children of politically-connected donors,” Baumgartner said. “We must end this practice because hard-working middle class families are the ones, who are forced to make up the $10 million in politically-driven scholarships.”
Legislation has been approved and supported by local legislators in the House of Representatives, however, the measure stalled in the Illinois Senate.
“I am calling for an end to the General Assembly Scholarship program. I believe that a simple step like this will serve as a sign to the public that we are serious about taking charge of our state’s fiscal crisis and ending favors for politically-connected donors.”
###
Paid for by Friends for Adam Baumgartner
413 S Locust Street Manteno, IL 60950 • 815.468.6829 www.adambaumgartnerforsenate.com