Progress Illinois

We've been following the ongoing effort to restore funding for the Monetary Assistance Program (MAP), which provides college aid to needy Illinois students but was reduced by 50 percent in the state budget passed in July.  The AP has some good news out of Springfield this afternoon:

Lawmakers emerging from a meeting with Gov. Pat Quinn say they agreed to appropriate an extra $200 million for the Monetary Award Program. But they said they haven't figured out where to get the money.   [...]

Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, says the General Assemblly will appropriate $200 milllion to help 137,000 students pay tuition. But he acknowledged it will be next spring until they determine how to pay it. 

This is a strange little news item.  After all the talk in recent weeks of different proposals to fund the program, the leaders simply decided to reappropriate the missing $200 million with the hope of finding a way to cover the cost next spring.  Still, it's got to be a relief to the numerous students who depend on the program.