The US Dept. of Education recently announced a series of public hearings to solicit comments on a host of topics, including, but not limited to:

• State Authorization
• Gainful employment;
• Credit Hour Conversions; and
• Campus Safety.

The first of these hearings occurred May 21 in Washington, DC.  In the course of the discussion Department officials received considerable testimony about state authorization, including the difficulties of complying with varying state authorization requirements for institutions wishing to offer degree programs in multiple states.  During the testimony there was considerable support for The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) and other forms of interstate compacts that would allow states to govern distance learning short of federal regulations. 

Wyoming's legalization of a state lottery in March 2013 made it the 44th state with such a lottery. While Hawaii and Utah continue to ban all forms of gambling, the other states without lotteries (Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, and Nevada) profit from casinos and other forms of gambling, but have yet to cash in on lottery revenues which totaled more than $19 billion last year.

Governing reporter Dylan Scott wrote today about the start-up operations at the Rhode Island health insurance exchange. The staff’s white board counts down the 138 days to October 1 when uninsured Rhode Islanders will be able to buy health insurance through the exchange.  

Scott’s article provides insight into exchanges – how government is moving into selling health insurance and the challenges ahead. It’s a must read for anyone struggling to understand this new government endeavor.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan took his case for $75 billion to expand pre-kindergarten to the House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday. Duncan called the plan to make preschool available to more four-year-old children, "the smartest use of our education dollars.”