January 19, 2012

After years of pushing legislation to end the controversial and scandal-prone "Legislative Scholarship Program," Senate Republicans have decided to unanimously walk away from the program voluntarily.

The action drew quick editorial applause from the state's largest newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, which wrote: "Republicans in the Illinois Senate are voluntarily suspending their participation in the tuition waiver program that has brought so much dishonor — and so much dishonorable conduct — to the General Assembly. We applaud Minority Leader Christine Radogno for securing commitments that all 24 members of her caucus won't award waivers for the 2012-13 school year"

The Newspaper then chided the Democrat leaders of the legislature for their refusal to end the program, pointing out the the Senate Republican action "raises an obvious question for Democratic legislators...What, exactly, is your problem? Do you think citizens by the millions haven't learned what a rip-off you're perpetuating?"

Senator Radogno and other Senate Republicans have consistently sponsored legislation to end the program. As recently as last fall, a measure that would have ended the program was blocked by the Democrat leadership.

The program allows legislators to grant free tuition waivers to students at public universities in Illinois. There are no academic standards or requirements that the scholarships be based on need. One problem with the program is that the scholarships are not paid for by the legislature, but simply require the universities to waive the tuition costs. Since the universities receive no financial support for the program, costs are passed on to other students.

In the past the program has been plagued by revelations that some legislators have awarded the waivers to relatives, political allies and campaign contributors. While many legislators took steps individually to avoid conflicts – many handed over the awarding of scholarships to independent committees – not all did so and individual abuses continue to surface.

Read the full editorial at the Chicago Tribune Web site.