Budget Stalemate Affects Quad City Colleges

Local colleges say the Illinois budget stalemate is driving Quad Cities students away. Yesterday  State Representative Mike Smiddy joined officials from Augustana and Black Hawk colleges, to talk about the consequences of not funding higher education.

Smiddy says the proposed stop-gap budget would pay for some programs, but not higher education. And the budget impasse has left 132,000 students without MAP grants to help pay for tuition.
Kai Swanson from Augustana College says if Illinois fails to fund higher education, the state will lose a lot of money in the future. 

Black Hawk College President, Bettie Truitt, says students have left the state. 

Smiddy says he will not vote for a stop-gap budget that doesn't fund higher education, benefits for veterans, children, the elderly and disabled, and many other essential programs.