Gov. Pat Quinn says it's time to abolish Illinois lawmakers' ability to award college scholarships to students in their districts. He says the legislative scholarship program has been abuses "over and over again" for decades. Lawmakers have long been criticized for awarding scholarships to children of campaign contributors and other questionable practices. On Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that State Sen. Annazette Collins of Chicago appears to have given scholarships to students who lived outside her district.
She denies any wrongdoing. Quinn said Friday that he's tried for two years to end the practice through amendatory vetoes, and it's time for legislators to but a bill on his desk to "end it once and for all." He also says he thinks any violations of the scholarship rules should be investigated.
