More nonsensical reasoning out of the Chicago Branch of Illinois government. I'm tired, so I'm not going to dive too deep into this. Basically, a Chicago Democrat wants to eliminate the earned right (after 7 years of service) of university employees to send their children to said school at half the normal tuition.
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/house-bill-may-end-tuition-breaks-for-university-employees/article_84e39ad2-633e-11e1-8f8f-001871e3ce6c.html
The bill's sponsor, State Rep Luis Arroyo, meanwhile sees no reason to eliminate the state's perpetually scandal-plagued legislative scholarships program; legislative scholarships have been handed out to the children of political supporters, organized crime figures, and even to students who do not reside in the district represented by the legislator (as is required). When a student is given such a scholarship, it is the university that foots the bill for the lost tuition and fees. Not surprisingly, universities opposed these scholarships when it was revealed that they were not going to needy or exceptional students.
Numerous lawmakers - mostly Republicans, but including Governor Quinn - have attempted to advance legislation abolishing the legislative scholarships, but they've been thwarted repeatedly by House Speaker Madigan. Rep Arroyo has said he is disappointed that the state's universities do not speak out in favor of these scholarships, which sheds some light on the motivations behind his current legislation.
So in a nutshell, we have an Illinois legislator upset about the attack on the legislative scholarships perk by (primarily) downstate lawmakers retaliating by attempting to remove an earned privilege afforded university employees as a retention incentive. Basically, Rep Arroyo is saying, "If you won't let us give things away to people who are undeserving but who are instrumental in our political wellbeing, we are going to take a right that many of your constituents have earned as a tenure benefit".
Most amusing is the disparity in the savings the state stands to reap were the discounted tuition to be abolished. Rep Arroyo pegs the cost savings at $387 million, while the Illinois Board of Higher Education pegs it at $8 million. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between, but consider that spread for a moment - they are $379 million apart in their assessments!
It's been documented that Illinois' accounting is among the worst of any state, with little consistency among agencies and departments, but if this is the best consensus that two different parties looking at the same program can reach, the we're doomed. It's going to be impossible to guide the state towards fiscal solvency when everyone is drawing their own map to suit their own agenda, and concrete figures appear not to exist.
More frustration to come soon, I'm sure...
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