College students are caught up in the political battle over the state's budget. Those who are eligible for tuition grants haven't received them this school year because the government didn't fund them.
Some universities are picking up the tab, but students may have to pay the schools back. Donnie Lewis, the student trustee at Richland Community College in Decatur, says Governor Bruce Rauner is holding these students hostage.
"Families working their way through college shouldn't be used as a bargaining chip for the governor's personal agenda. This is just ego against ego and we've got to figure out some way to one side or the other to move."
Lewis says the school had to raise the cost of tuition to help fund the school's operations. He says that the governor shouldn't tie non-budget items to passing the budget.
Governor Rauner has said he wants reforms before discussing a budget, and Democrats are standing in the way of change.