Will County Gazette

In a May 24 Facebook post, Sen. John Curran (R-Lemont) thanked students for coming to the capitol to advocate for the Invest in Kids program.

“I want to thank the hundreds of children, teachers, families, and mentors who have been coming to the Illinois State Capitol this year to advocate for the Invest In Kids Scholarship Program,” he wrote on Facebook. “We have heard you loud and clear and saving this program remains a top priority of the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus in the closing days of session.”

The Invest in Kids Scholarship program dates back to 2017 and allows Illinois Taxpayers to receive a 75% tax credit for each dollar they donate to a qualifying scholarship granting organization. The program will expire at the end of this fiscal year if not included and funded in the FY 2023-2024 budget.

On May 26, Curran issued this statement on the budget: "This budget isn’t just a spending plan, it’s a list of choices. The Democratic Majority chose to spend $600 million on free healthcare for non-citizen adults and asylum seekers in Chicago over fully-funding services for developmentally disabled Illinoisans and saving K-12 scholarships for low-income families."

After the Senate passed the budget on May 26, Curran explained to ABC7 that though the inclusion of Republicans in negotiations was "a step forward in our working relationships across the aisle for the betterment of the people of Illinois," he ultimately voted against the bill.

"A few Senate Republican priorities - really some joint priorities - are reflected in this budget," Curran said. "However, what matters to the people of Illinois is not the process, but the product. As you will see by the uniform 'no' votes from our caucus, this final product does not reflect the entire state of Illinois."

Curran has represented the 41st Senate District since 2017. According to his Senate biography, he is an attorney at a private law firm in Oak Brook. He was a member of the DuPage County Board between 2008 and 2017.