Illinois' disgraced legislative scholarship program is back in the news.

Gov. Pat Quinn issued an undeniable challenge this week to state legislators when he used his vast amendatory veto power to abolish the disgraced legislative scholarship program.

Quinn's action comes it the wake of news reports that federal investigators are conducting a criminal probe of a former legislator's decision to award nearly $100,000 in scholarship aid to children of a campaign supporter.

Despite the repeated scandals that have enveloped the program, legislators have been adamant in their refusal to abolish this much-loved perk. They have, however, passed so-called reforms designed to appease critics. This year they sent a bill that bars a legislator's relative from receiving a legislative scholarship. But Quinn used H.B. 1353 as a vehicle to abolish the program as of June 1, 2012.

Quinn, who has long opposed the program, did not mince his words.

"You can't put perfume on a skunk. This program has had too many problems for too many years," he said.

Quinn, of course, is correct. But this exercise of his amendatory veto problem raises questions. Is this rewrite of state law a proper exercise of his authority? Even if so, will legislators stand for it?

House Speaker Michael Madigan has made it clear that he hates it when governors use what he views as a narrow authority in a broad way. He has repeatedly refused to allow the House to address amendatory vetoes, meaning the legislation and the veto die. It would be no surprise if he did so again.

Meanwhile, Senate President John Cullerton is a vehement defender of the program. He also could use his legislative clout to ensure the program's survival.

On another level, the veto pits Quinn against a legislative majority. He hates the program because it is easily abused. They love it because it is so easy for them to abuse.

While some scholarships are awarded to applicants based solely on merit, it's inarguable that many legislators have given them to relatives as well as the children of campaign donors and political supporters.

That's what the latest investigation is about. Former state Rep. Robert Molaro granted a series of tuition waivers to children of a political supporter even though neither the children nor Molaro's supporter lived in his district, according to official records. One of the few rules surrounding the program is that recipients must live in the legislator's district, although this rule has been routinely violated with impunity by members of the House and Senate.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's decision to investigate represents a dramatic change in attitude by criminal authorities. Quinn's amendatory veto ups the ante even further.