Lake County Gazette

The State of Illinois said Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, on June 28, filed legislation aiming to make Invest in Kids a permanent fixture across the state.

“My new bill will eliminate former Speaker Madigan’s political ‘sunset requirement’ and allow the Invest in Kids Act to become a permanent program, with no expiration, for all of Illinois' students and their parents who want the right to better educational opportunities," McLaughlin said. “This scholarship program currently serves over 7,000 students and will expire at the end of this calendar year because the Majority Democrats eliminated the funding for the Act in the new FY24 Budget, and opted not to extend the sunset, or to make the program permanent."

McLaughlin is calling on House Speaker Chris Welch, Senate President Don Harmon and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to join him in getting the legislation across the finish, adding his goal is to "ensure that this successful, bipartisan scholarship program becomes a permanent tool for students across the great state of Illinois.”

McLaughlin estimates the number of families across the state awaiting assistance to take part in the program at 22,000, adding, "With the introduction of this legislation, Illinois residents will clearly see which of the elected officials who always claim to be devoted to creating educational opportunity and to helping underprivileged children actually do something about it.

“I am calling upon all of my colleagues in the Legislature to join me by signing on as co-sponsors to this common-sense legislation. Now is the time to send a strong message to all the parents in Illinois about how serious we are in keeping our kids away from educational politics for once."