"These were waivers, not scholarships," Morthland said. "Estimates suggest this unfunded mandate placed a $12 to $14 million burden annually on Illinois universities while the state already owes them tens of millions in overdue bills. In 2011, 1,327 tuition waivers were awarded in Illinois, costing approximately $13.5 million which was then passed on to tuition paying students. In these tough economic times, students and universities cannot afford to absorb this cost."
Recent investigations have uncovered a number of instances where General Assembly scholarships went to ineligible family members, campaign contributors and students outside of the legislative district.
"There has been too much misuse and fraud tied to legislative scholarships. Reform attempts didn't work and we continued to see instances of abuse. Eliminating these scholarships was the right thing to do."
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