Black lawmakers are concerned state colleges and universities are not looking enough to women- and minority-owned contractors,

University leaders, says State Rep. Cyril Nichols (pictured, right) (D-Chicago), do not seem to have answers. “We’re not getting that data,” he says. “You know you are coming to Springfield, so you know you should have had that data anyway,”

State Rep. La Shawn Ford (pictured, left) (D-Chicago) expands. “It’s a process. We’re not saying, just give people a contract,” says Ford, chairman of the House Higher Education Appropriations Committee, “We want people to have the opportunity to submit their proposals, and they should be vetted by the institutions to make sure they are able to hire the highest and best qualified agency for the job.”

Another question: do all fields even have contractors of color who would bid?