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Governor Follows Through On MAP Funding Veto

Meagan Davis
/
Flickr

Low-income college students promised state help paying for tuition will continue to go without it.

Governor Bruce Rauner has vetoed Democratic-backed legislation to pay for so-called "MAP grants." The measure also funded community colleges. Students have traveled to Springfield in recent days to rally in support of the plan.

But Governor Bruce Rauner said in his veto message that the bill would spend $720 million the state doesn't have. Earlier this week, he asked students to be patient.
"It's a very tragic situation, it's very upsetting to me. It's a failure of the government process that this is occurring."

Rauner, a Republican, says he does support the financial aid. But he supports a version introduced by the GOP, which also gives him authority to cut the budget elsewhere. 

Immediately after Rauner's veto, Republican legislators were out with press releases promoting their alternative plan , which would also get money to universities.

Four-year universities were left out of Democrats' bill, although they too have gone nearly eight months without state funding. Senate President John Cullerton says he's disappointed in the governor for letting students down.

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.
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