Senate overrides budget vetoes; restores $5.8 million to higher ed

For nearly ten hours on Tuesday (June 11), the Senate considered 234 separate motions to override the GovernorÕs $511 million item/reduction vetoes.

Most attempts to restore funding were defeated in the Senate. However, the legislature restored just over $60 million Ð nearly all of it for education. Higher education funding was restored by $5.8 million, while elementary and secondary education received add-backs of $47.6 million. All of the higher education overrides approved by the legislature were for public university operations as follows:

CSU.....$ 34,400
EIU.....$ 172,000
GSU.....$ 102,300
ISU.....$ 486,700
NEIU.....$ 158,400
NIU.....$ 618,100
WIU.....$ 232,100
SIU.....$ 1,075,000
U of I.....$ 2,956,300
Total.....$5,835,300

After finishing action on the overrides, the Senate and House adjourned the special session. They are not scheduled to return until the regular veto session convenes on Nov. 19.

June 11, 2002