The budget stalemate has meant no state funding this year for state universities, community colleges and MAP grants. A central Illinois Republican says they have a solution.
State Senator Chapin Rose of Mahomet proposes restoring higher education funding --- although somewhat below last year’s levels --- by tying it to procurement reform that streamlines how public bodies buy goods and services. He says the savings would make it possible to direct one-point-seven billion dollars to higher education, even without a state budget.
Democrats passed their own higher education funding bill this week, but Rose says it leaves out state university funding, and doesn’t identify a funding source. He says its Senate sponsor, Chicago Democrat Donne Trotter, all but admitted his bill wasn’t realistic.
ROSE: “He actually said, I’ll quote it, ‘if nothing else, let this be the start of real action being taken in this chamber.’ OK? So he knew the bill that passed yesterday wasn’t going to be real. So our thought is, hey, here’s something else, Senator Trotter.”
Rose says state universities have sought procurement reform for years, and that could put pressure on Democrats to support their measure.
The procurement reform proposal joins another Republican measure that ties higher education funding to expanding the governor’s ability to move money around in the budget.