Illinois House panel approves higher ed funding bill - Tom Kacich, News-Gazette

"I would just caution everyone, before you go home and tell people, 'Oh, don't worry, we're flat funding,' I would tell them also, 'Don't spend it until you get the check,'" Rose told his colleagues. Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, the sponsor of the higher-education budget bill, closed his remarks with a defense of spending on public colleges and universities. "If you don't have a college degree in the state of Illinois, the unemployment rate is 20 percent. Twenty percent. It's off the charts," he said. "But if you do have a college degree, it's 6 percent. "People get jobs, they have an opportunity to grow, they have an opportunity to be productive and be viable, tax-paying citizens." Following the vote, Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, said, "Ideally, after years of cuts to higher education, I would like to see more money being put in. In other states, they're doing that. But we have to face the reality of our budget here in Illinois and what we can afford. http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-05-30/update-house-panel-approves-higher-ed-funding-bill.html