A new effort from Democrats to fund Illinois' financially strapped state universities and community colleges is getting a cold reception from Gov. Bruce Rauner.

St. Rep. Phillips, a Charleston businessman, spoke with Illinois Public Media's Jim Meadows as he seeks the GOP nomination to run for a 2nd term in the 110th District.

Struggling due to a lack of state funding, Chicago State University says it will eliminate spring break this year, to ensure its students finish the semester before the school runs out of money and is forced to close.

Gov. Bruce Rauner is scheduled to deliver his budget message to the Illinois General Assembly this Wednesday. In advance of that, interest groups are lining up to plead their case for state funding. On Monday, representatives of the state’s colleges and universities made one such pitch.

Gridlock has kept money from going to higher education in Illinois since July. Then, in a matter of hours on Thursday, Democratic lawmakers approved a plan that would pump $720 million into the system. Republicans are calling it a "cruel hoax" that's giving students false hope, even though they, too, say they want to help higher ed.