News

For-Profit Colleges Spend Big On Lobbyists to Fight Obama Regulation. With the May 27 deadline approaching to submit comments to the U.S. Department of Education, big for-profit colleges are pulling out all the stops to gut the Obama Administration’s proposed “gainful employment” rule, which is aimed at curbing predatory career training programs.  Taking some of the $33 billion a year they’ve been getting from taxpayers, the industry is spending big on lobbyists, with a continued heavy emphasis on hiring former Members of Congress and ex-Capitol Hill staffers. Republic Report

NJ: Months after Christie veto, bill restricting privatization passes Senate committee again. A bill that would regulate New Jersey’s attempts to privatize government functions advanced out of a Senate committee Monday, less than a year after a similar version met Governor Christie’s veto pen. The legislation would forbid the state from outsourcing a government function to a private company — a practice often touted by Christie as an efficient way to save taxpayers money — if the cost savings would come from increasing fees, cutting services or reducing wages. NorthJersey.com

PA: So how many plans to privatize Pennsylvania liquor sales are out there? The Pennsylvania Senate is expected to take up liquor privatization this week. It remains to be seen if the plan that’s been circulated among Senate leadership is popular enough to overcome the deadlock that have stalled others. PennsNews

TX: Boom Time in Texas: Jobs, Traffic, Water Worries. . .Mr. Nichols, a former commissioner of the Texas Department of Transportation, says lawmakers have favored alternatives such as striking partnerships with private developers to build toll roads, which eases congestion in a way that is “off the books of books of the state.” Wall Street Journal