By Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn used his veto pen today to urge lawmakers to end the legislative scholarship program for the second time in as many years.
The governor rejected a bill last year that would have put a ban on lawmakers awarding the scholarships to campaign contributors or their families. In the veto message, he called on the legislature to instead approve an abolition of the program. Lawmakers never tried to override the veto, so the underlying bill died.
This time around, Quinn made the changes to the legislation himself. He used his amendatory power to tweak House Bill 1353, a bill that in its original form would bar lawmakers from giving the scholarship to family members. If the General Assembly approves his changes, the program would be eliminated on June 1, 2012.
Click on the following for more details: http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/quinn-to-lawmakers-eliminate-perk.html
Here are some of the scholarship recipients during retired Rep. Wait’s reign:
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
