(MCT) — State lawmakers are poised to finally ban an oft-abused free college tuition program that's drawn the scrutiny of federal prosecutors, a push that comes as a new scholarship program is being offered as a bargaining chip to win votes for a long-stalled proposal to build a Downstate power plant.

Those involved say the two issues are unrelated and not the result of the kind of political horse-trading that typically takes place in the General Assembly. But the timing has not gone unnoticed at the Capitol.