A long-running legislative perk is coming to an end.
Governor Pat Quinn has signed legislation ending the decades-old practice of lawmakers handing out college tuition waivers to students in their districts.
Many lawmakers had defended the program, saying they used it to reward deserving students… not to hand out political favors. But some lawmakers have been under investigation for misusing the program… including allegedly using false addresses to give the waivers to students outside their districts. And critics also say that cash-strapped colleges and universities had to absorb the cost of the waivers.
Legislators will get to issue one more round of the scholarships this year before the program ends for good.
