Rep. Timothy Johnson, representative of the 15th congressional district of Illinois, announced his sponsorship of the College and University Rural Education Act (CURE) earlier today.

The bill, which aims to link rural school districts to colleges and employers, was created out of a need to encourage students from rural areas to begin thinking about their lives after high school, Johnson said.

“The hard fact is that fewer people from rural areas go to college than those from suburban areas. That translates into employers not being able to find people they need to do their jobs,” Johnson said in a press release.

Originally introduced by Rep. Zack Space, the bill authorizes $30 million to create the program.

“The 15th district has three major universities and ten or eleven community colleges in it, so this is something that Congressman Johnson pays attention to a lot,” said Phil Bloomer, press secretary for Rep. Timothy Johnson.

The district extends all the way into Southern Illinois where the need for student aid is apparent, Bloomer said.

Brittany Abeijon contributed to this article.