A move is afoot to restore the "promise" of state scholarship funding.

Days after the Republican-led Senate slashed funding for the Michigan Promise scholarship program, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education today is addressing the program, along with other aspects of higher-education funding.

Lt. Gov. John Cherry is among the Democrats putting his weight behind the program, the Associated Press. Cherry, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for governor in 2010, says Michigan lawmakers should restore money for the state's primary publicly funded college scholarship program.

Cherry said today the program is not immune from budget cuts, but that it should not be eliminated. Cherry says eliminating it would break a promise to the 96,000 students expecting to receive the up to $4,000 scholarship.

The Senate vote last week was designed to save  $140 million in the budget year that starts Oct. 1.

Even if funding is maintained for the program, perhaps a name change is in order? The "Michigan Retractable Stipend"?

Comments

[JRS]

I would not be surprised to see
the legislature back down on
eliminating the program, I'm sure
they have been getting a lot of
negative feedback from angry parents and students.

[MCP-001]

The hoopla over the scholarship funding is a typical government trick done to soften up voters in preparation for a tax hike.

I wouldn't be too surprised if Sen. Bishop offers to raise another tax to "offset" cutting this program.