CHICAGO, Ill -- Governor Pat Quinn signed Wednesday a new law abolishing the political scholarship program in Illinois.
"There is no place for political scholarships in Illinois," Quinn said. "I believe in the power of education, the importance of ethics and integrity, and the idea that you can get ahead in life with a little hard work.
The bill says that members of the General Assembly are no longer allowed to award higher education scholarships after September 1, 2012.
"While legislative scholarships help a small number of students, the program's abuse comes at an incredibly high cost in terms of trust in government and absorbed tuition at colleges and universities," Lt. Governor Sheila Simon said.
The bill also creates a task force to review all tuition and fee waivers offered by state universities to ensure that taxpayer dollars funding these institutions are being spent appropriately. The task force must report its findings on or before April 15, 2013.
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