Kendall County Times

Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois is promoting a newly-passed state budget of $50.6 billion, emphasizing its aim to make community college education accessible to almost all students regardless of their financial circumstances.

The expanded education is made possible by allocating an additional $100 million to the Monetary Award Program grant funding program that provides support to students, a May report from the Chicago Tribune said. Pritzker signed the budget into law on June 7 after it passed the Illinois House on a party-line vote subsequent to being approved by the Senate.

"This is a program that already makes it possible for nearly 42% of UIS’ student body to get a college education and with this new investment, more aid will go to more students than ever before," the governor said in the Tribune report. "Getting a college or university degree shouldn’t strap you with debt for the rest of your life."

Pritzker has also expressed enthusiasm for the budget's allocation of $2.8 billion toward improving infrastructure in the state’s universities and community colleges. Of those funds, the University of Illinois system is designated to receive approximately $686 million for its infrastructure needs.

Other notable provisions in the new budget include an extra $85 million designated for homelessness prevention and affordable housing initiatives. An additional $200 million will also be directed toward addressing the longstanding underfunding of the state's pension plans. Further, the 3,400-page budget plan outlines a new program with a $20 million budget to enhance grocery access in urban and rural communities, as well as an allocation of $30 million for police departments to upgrade their body cameras and squad car dashboard cameras.

The plan also aims to allocate $42.5 million to support counties and towns across the state in managing the growing influx of migrant immigrants arriving from the southern border.