U of I to oppose elimination of employee tuition waivers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - University of Illinois officials say they will oppose a plan in the Legislature to abolish the 50 percent tuition waivers offered to children of school employees.

U of I spokesman Tom Hardy told the Champaign News-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1NuJjFL ) that the state's flagship university will work with other colleges and university employee groups to emphasize the importance of the waivers to the employees and the state.

Rep. Jack Franks, a Woodstock Democrat, proposed the initiative. He says he will change the bill so waivers are phased out over four years instead of cut immediately. He says that's a compromise with members of the House State Government Administration Committee.

Franks says the idea would save public universities $10 million a year.

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The bill sis HB403.

Online: http://www.ilga.gov

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Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com