The Senate Republican Caucus proudly continued their efforts to support the nearly 10,000 children whose lives have been forever changed by the Invest in Kids Scholarship Program. Hundreds of students and their families rallied at the Capitol during the veto session, pleading with lawmakers to keep the low-income scholarship program alive.

On Tuesday, Senate Republicans held a press conference calling on the Governor and his legislative allies to help save the Invest in Kids Scholarship program. They noted that instead of being focused on Illinois, the Governor was out of state in Florida trying to increase his national profile by weighing in on federal issues.

Since the inception of the Invest in Kids program in 2017, more than $308 million in private donations have been made to a tax credit scholarship fund that has provided more than 38,000 scholarships to help low-income K-12 students in struggling schools optimize their chances for academic success by attending a school of their choice. 

Because Gov. Pritzker refused to address the issue and no action was taken during Veto Session, the Invest in Kids program is set to expire on Jan. 1, 2024, potentially forcing students to leave their current schools in the middle of the school year.

The Senate Republicans say it is unacceptable that Democratic leaders abandoned families across the state and refused to save the vital program. They say that despite the setback, Senate Republicans will continue their fight for the program during next year’s spring session.