Civil Rights News – State Prosecutors Investigate For-Profit Schools, Ryan Budget & Medicare, UT SB1070 Copycat

Attorneys General In 10 States Launch Joint Investigation Into For-Profit Colleges
Huffington Post

Prosecutors in ten states coordinated a joint investigation into the violation of consumer protection laws by for-profit colleges. The investigation concerns the use of deceptive recruiting tactics and misrepresentation of the use of federal aid dollars to recruits.
“There need to be guidelines for information on cost and student loan debt provided to the students before they sign up, and we need to make sure that these schools reform the way they target and recruit potential students,” Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway said.

Remaking Medicare: Saving Money or Shifting Costs?
NPR Politics

The two sides of the aisle are divided on the effects of cutting federal expenditures on Medicare. According to Paul Ryan, cutting Medicare will reduce overall health care costs by creating a more competitive market for private insurers. President Barack Obama argues that by cutting Medicare spending, costs would simply be shifted to the consumer. In this article, NPR’s Julie Rovner looks at how Ryan’s budget plan doesn’t quite live up to its promises.

Class-Action Lawsuit Says Utah Immigration Law Violates Civil Rights
New York Times

A class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is an attempt to block Utah’s immigration law, a copycat bill of Arizona’s controversial S.B. 1070. The same fight is being battled across the country as more states present immigration bills that counter civil rights and federal authority.

Compiled by Alice Thompson, a winter/spring intern