Rose, Righter help search for MAP grant funds
Political situations crippling program
Bob Bajek/Associate News Editor
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: News
With the General Assembly passing $205 million Oct. 15 to fund the Monetary Award Program grant for the spring semester, the one question remaining is where will the money come from. This question has politicians looking for answers.
Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, said what the General Assembly did was specifically send $205 million to the governor. The body left the decision up to Gov. Pat Quinn to appropriate money for the MAP grant where he has to cut from the budget.
"The General Assembly made a supplemental appropriation, which gives executive branch legal authority to spend, and they basically told the governor you are direct to spend money without adding money," Righter said. "This prevents (Quinn) from spending the ($205 million) where he wanted."
The MAP program, Righter said, is fully supplied at $205 million, according to what he's heard from political and educational circles.
Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, told the Faculty Senate and presidents council on Oct. 20 students were instrumental in bringing the General Assembly to its decision to fund the MAP grant.
"The irritating thing to me was that was the only issue alive that the governor could have said 'We all have to sit here and come up with solutions, so we won't have to send anybody home,'" Rose told Faculty Senate.
Rose and his colleagues were trying to promote a bill to fund the MAP grant with back taxes, but that was stopped.
"We did that in 2003 and raised about $280 million in three weeks," Rose said. "It's irritating because we put real dollars on the table and it was shut down. When you restore $200 million without a new way to pay for it in new dollars, the next morning we read stories about Health Alliance will not be paid for three-and-a-half months."
The governor's office said it would cover the grant with discretionary funds, but Rose said they do not exist.
"What will happen will be the pushing back of payment to providers," Rose said.
Rose told Faculty Senate he is a "positive person" and wanted to look at the bright spot, pointing out the state debt was $4.2 billion at the year's beginning, not $11 billion.
"That ($11 billion) is a combination of debt and deficit," Rose said. "They are two completely different things.
With $2 billion of the state's $6 to $7 billion debt paid off, Rose said it was a start and government will continue bringing down the deficit.
The hard part, Rose said, is for Illinois to capture federal enhanced money. Springfield has to prioritize some of their vendors and pay them down to 30 days. He said the state has paid off a third of its accumulated debt, which is good but not ideal.
"We still have lots of problems, but it is progress," Rose said.
Rose said a good strategy for higher education was back in 1984, and has been haphazard ever since.
"There are two problems," Rose said of providing $440 million in MAP revenue. "One, we're broke; and second, anyone can use it anywhere, including privates."
Rose said if affordability is the goal, then MAP money should go solely to public institutions or have a cap on private schools.
"The Truth of Tuition bill caused quite a bit of distortion in tuition, and the problem is when you go under budget, you guarantee student price for four years," Rose said. "Is that really smart budgeting?"
Righter said a way to help stabilize the MAP program and the state budget as a whole would be to eliminate the less critical new programs started the last few years.
Raising taxes without looking at how the state spends its money is something Righter is against. Part of his argument is that with 300,000 newly unemployed state residents, a tax increase will place a burden on them as they attempt to make ends meet.
He said his constituents want the state legislator and governor to first look into where money is being spent first before considering a tax increase.
Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7942 or rtbajek@eiu.edu.
Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, said what the General Assembly did was specifically send $205 million to the governor. The body left the decision up to Gov. Pat Quinn to appropriate money for the MAP grant where he has to cut from the budget.
"The General Assembly made a supplemental appropriation, which gives executive branch legal authority to spend, and they basically told the governor you are direct to spend money without adding money," Righter said. "This prevents (Quinn) from spending the ($205 million) where he wanted."
The MAP program, Righter said, is fully supplied at $205 million, according to what he's heard from political and educational circles.
Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, told the Faculty Senate and presidents council on Oct. 20 students were instrumental in bringing the General Assembly to its decision to fund the MAP grant.
"The irritating thing to me was that was the only issue alive that the governor could have said 'We all have to sit here and come up with solutions, so we won't have to send anybody home,'" Rose told Faculty Senate.
Rose and his colleagues were trying to promote a bill to fund the MAP grant with back taxes, but that was stopped.
"We did that in 2003 and raised about $280 million in three weeks," Rose said. "It's irritating because we put real dollars on the table and it was shut down. When you restore $200 million without a new way to pay for it in new dollars, the next morning we read stories about Health Alliance will not be paid for three-and-a-half months."
The governor's office said it would cover the grant with discretionary funds, but Rose said they do not exist.
"What will happen will be the pushing back of payment to providers," Rose said.
Rose told Faculty Senate he is a "positive person" and wanted to look at the bright spot, pointing out the state debt was $4.2 billion at the year's beginning, not $11 billion.
"That ($11 billion) is a combination of debt and deficit," Rose said. "They are two completely different things.
With $2 billion of the state's $6 to $7 billion debt paid off, Rose said it was a start and government will continue bringing down the deficit.
The hard part, Rose said, is for Illinois to capture federal enhanced money. Springfield has to prioritize some of their vendors and pay them down to 30 days. He said the state has paid off a third of its accumulated debt, which is good but not ideal.
"We still have lots of problems, but it is progress," Rose said.
Rose said a good strategy for higher education was back in 1984, and has been haphazard ever since.
"There are two problems," Rose said of providing $440 million in MAP revenue. "One, we're broke; and second, anyone can use it anywhere, including privates."
Rose said if affordability is the goal, then MAP money should go solely to public institutions or have a cap on private schools.
"The Truth of Tuition bill caused quite a bit of distortion in tuition, and the problem is when you go under budget, you guarantee student price for four years," Rose said. "Is that really smart budgeting?"
Righter said a way to help stabilize the MAP program and the state budget as a whole would be to eliminate the less critical new programs started the last few years.
Raising taxes without looking at how the state spends its money is something Righter is against. Part of his argument is that with 300,000 newly unemployed state residents, a tax increase will place a burden on them as they attempt to make ends meet.
He said his constituents want the state legislator and governor to first look into where money is being spent first before considering a tax increase.
Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7942 or rtbajek@eiu.edu.
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