Rauner signs $600 million university funding package

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation to keep major Illinois universities operating until fall.

The Republican signed the bill Monday after a debate over the temporary spending plan last week in the General Assembly.

The $600 million package includes $170 million for the Monetary Award Program, a needs-based grant that colleges had to dole out this past school year without state reimbursement.

Rauner and Democrats who control the Legislature still have been unable to agree on a full-year plan for the budget year that began July 1.

The first-term governor released a statement Monday saying the law doesn’t solve the budget crisis but is “a first step toward compromise.”

But he reiterated his demand for business reforms and union-power curbs first.