Illinois approved a $600 million stopgap fund for the state's colleges and universities. The bill which will contribute to the funding plan of the state's public higher education institutions comes after 10 months of no operating budget.

Reuters reports that the $600 million is not enough to cover the planned spending for Illinois' colleges and universities. It will only cover 34 percent of the original $1.7 billion funding plan. Chicago CBS notes that the bipartisan agreement made by the lawmakers is a rare event. The passing of the bill will ensure that low-income students can continue going to school and higher education institutions will continue to operate, especially Chicago State University that is in danger of closing down.

Additionally, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is expected to sign the bill where it includes $170 million tuition aid for struggling students. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan says that the funding should only be treated as a bandage solution, not a long term one, Daily Mail shares. He also critcized the governor for allegedly being unwilling to give assistance to service providers aimed for people from low-income households. The aid was passed to the Senate after a 106-2 vote in the House.

He adds that budget negotiation has been drawn out for too long that it took 10 months to come to an agreement. Additionally, the delay caused public colleges and universities to lay off some of their staff. The passed bill will not stop the planned layoffs of staff in the state's public universities and colleges. Additionally, the stopgap funding may not be enough for them to hire the laid of workers back. The money for the bill comes from the excess Education Assistance Fund allocated to the state.

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Topics Illinois