The Student Association will lobby for House Bill 2990, which would fully fund the Monetary Award Program grants and cut NIU’s budget for Fiscal Year 2016 by 6.5 percent on April 6 in Springfield.

The NIU-supported partisan bill passed the Illinois House of Representatives on March 3 with a 70-43-1 vote. The bill is currently in the Illinois Senate and the Illinois General Assembly will meet on April 5 and 6 to discuss the bill.

Other bills in consideration are HB 6415, which would fund 40 percent of MAP grants and appropriate $42.6 million to NIU, and HB 4539, which would fully fund MAP and appropriate $73 million to NIU.

Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) said HB 6415 and HB 4539 do not have a revenue source from the government. Pritchard sponsors HB 4539.

The SA will focus on lobbying the Republicans to fund higher education and the Democrats to find funding sources, according to an SA news release.

To lobby with the SA contact SA Senator Christine Wang at [email protected] or SA Senate Speaker Dillon Domke at [email protected] by March 23 to reserve a spot.