NEWS

from the Illinois General Assembly

State Senator Susan Garrett
State Representative Karen May
State Representative Elaine Nekritz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2012

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Susan Garrett (847) 433-2002
Karen May (847) 433-9100
Elaine Nekritz (847)257-0450

Sen. Garrett, Rep. May and Rep. Nekritz Will Not Offer General Assembly Tuition Waivers in 2012

Sen. Susan Garrett, Rep. Karen May and Rep. Elaine Nekritz announced today that they will not offer General Assembly Tuition Waivers in 2012. “We are proud of the open, independent and community-based manner in which our offices have awarded General Assembly tuition waivers in the past, but due to the funding cuts our state colleges and universities have faced in recent years it is no longer appropriate to continue the program”, they said. The program is a waiver program, not a scholarship program, and state colleges and universities do not receive any tuition payments for the students who receive waivers under the program.

The General Assembly tuition waiver program has also been the subject of allegations of abuse by some legislators. “We are confident that the independent citizens committees which award the tuition waivers for us have always done so solely on the basis of merit and financial need; however we have decided that we can no longer participate in a program that has been put under a cloud so that it has failed to retain the public trust”, Garrett, May and Nekritz said.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is an excellent resource for scholarship searches and FAFSA questions for students who may be seeking financial assistance. Their website is www.collegeillinois.org.

Legislation to end the General Assembly tuition waiver program has been proposed in Springfield, but has not yet mustered the votes to pass. “It is long past time that the General Assembly voted to end the program, and we are not going to wait”, the three legislators said. A bill to end the program will be considered again this year, and Garrett, May and Nekritz will be working for its passage.