House Approves Bill to Restore Funding for School Construction Grants Promised in 2002

Springfield , IL …The Illinois House of Representatives unanimously advanced legislation Tuesday which restores promised school construction funding to Hinckley-Big Rock CUSD 429 and 22 other school districts across the State of Illinois . State Representative Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) said the grants were awarded to the school districts in 2002, but Governor Blagojevich has made excuses and withheld the funds for the last 6 years.

“The governor has refused to release funding appropriated by the legislature at least three times since 2002,” said Pritchard. “Like many of the other schools on the priority list, Hinckley-Big Rock went ahead with the construction project after the legislature appropriated the money because the need was so great. Therefore the school district borrowed from other accounts to cover the state's promised portion of the cost which reduced money for classroom teaching and was unfair to students and local taxpayers.”

An appropriation for the promised grants totaling $150 million was sent to the governor's desk June 14, 2007 , however he waited until August 13 to sign the bill. Afterward, he claimed the 23 districts would have needed to resubmit paperwork by June 30 in order to receive the funds they were pledged. Since the school districts had no warning of the technicality, the governor said there was not ample time to process the paperwork and distribute their money before the appropriations deadline.

House Bill 4130 was introduced to re-appropriate the funds in the FY2009 budget and ensure schools receive the promised construction grants. Pritchard said “By passing this bill through the General Assembly now, we have plenty of time to pressure the governor's office to release the funding.”

In a State Journal Register article Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Governor Blagojevich indicated the governor is “eager” to help the 23 schools receive their funding. The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Lisa Dugan, said in the article that she “assumes he will live up to his word.”

House Bill 4130 now advances to the Senate for consideration.