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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

We Commend CFPB For Adding Consumer Stories To Public Complaint Database

Yesterday, the CFPB published the first batch (7,700) of consumer narratives or stories to the Public Consumer Complaint Database it began in 2011. We've used the database to publish five reports (so far) analyzing complaint trends in markets ranging from credit cards to student loans but we have also long urged the voluntary addition of stories to the data fields. Now, consumers can learn if what happened to them happened to anyone else. Now, researchers can track which banks are more responsive to particular problems and which ignore their customers. A good resource is now an excellent resource.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Event 5/11 re new book on black box decisionmaking & consumers | Ed Mierzwinski

UPDATED TO CONFIRM CFPB Speaker. We are hosting an event Monday, 5/11, from 9am-noon ET to discuss a new book, The Black Box Society, with author Frank Pasquale. Click Keep Reading to RSVP to attend in person or to watch the livestream. While credit bureaus have long functioned as black box gatekeepers to opportunity, panelists will discuss the growing use of more and more, even less transparent black boxes to categorize consumers in the digital economy.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

PIRG Commends Release of Labor Dept.'s Proposed Rule To End Conflicted Retirement Advice

PIRG today commended the public release of the Department of Labor’s proposed rule that would strengthen the ability for Americans to save for retirement by addressing conflicts of interest that arise when brokers and financial advisers give retirement advice. Wall Street will fight the rule hard, because it requires them to put consumers first.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

CFPB Begins Payday Regulation Push In Richmond | Ed Mierzwinski

We joined the CFPB in Richmond Thursday for a field hearing on a proposed rule to regulate payday lending and similar high-cost short-term loans. The CFPB's draft rule is comprehensive, covering a variety of loans, but it contains potential loopholes that we and other advocates will urge the bureau to close before it finalizes this important effort. Here's a short blog with some photos from Richmond.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Budget

NEW REPORT: New Jersey Receives "B" in Annual Report on Transparency of Government Spending

New Jersey received a “B” when it comes to government spending transparency, according to “Following the Money 2015: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” the sixth annual report of its kind by the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group Law and Policy Center. New Jersey's grade improved since last year, jumping from a C+ to this year's B.

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Media Hit | Safe Energy

McKeon Calls for Stronger Safeguards To Protect Barnegat Bay & Delaware River From Radioactive Contamination

Assemblyman John F. McKeon, a long-standing advocate of nuclear safety, called for the immediate implementation of some of the safety protocols and safeguards recommended in the report released Tuesday, on the threat to drinking water from radioactive leaks from nuclear facilities.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Safe Energy

Nuclear Power Plants Threaten Drinking Water for Over 3.2 Million New Jerseyans

The drinking water for 3,286,373 people in New Jersey could be at risk of radioactive contamination from a leak or accident at a local nuclear power plant, says a new study released today by the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group Law & Policy Center and the Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center.

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Media Hit | Transportation

The Star-Ledger: Report: Gas tax, car charges only cover half the cost of road maintenance

Amid a debate over whether New Jersey should increase its low gasoline tax to shore up the nearly broke transportation fund, a report released today cautions that gas taxes and other vehicle charges pay only half the cost of building and maintaining the nation’s roads.

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Media Hit | Consumer Protection

NJPIRG talks Toy Safety on New Jersey Now (Video)

NJPIRG's Gideon Weissman appeared on New Jersey Now to discuss toy safety tips for the holidays. 

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News Release | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Consumer Protection

Survey Finds Toxic or Dangerous Toys on Store Shelves

Dangerous or toxic toys can still be found on America’s store shelves, according to NJPIRG’s 26th annual Trouble in Toyland report 

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group

More than a third of U.S. states get an “F” for economic development transparency

More than one-third of U.S. states are failing to make critical information about how governments are subsidizing business projects with taxpayer dollars readily available to the public online, according to a new report from U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group. Following the Money 2019, the organization’s tenth evaluation of online government spending transparency, gives 17 states a failing grade, while only four states received a grade of “B” or higher.

Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center and Frontier Group

Following the Money 2019

Our 10th report on government spending transparency rates all 50 states on the degree to which they make information about corporate tax breaks and other subsidies available online.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Deadly infant products sold after recalls at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that discount stores T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods sold 19 different recalled products to consumers between 2014 and 2019. In the case of five products, the stores’ parent company TJX initiated the recall. The products included the Rock ‘N Play and Kids II inclined infant sleepers, which are responsible for a number of fatalities, rattles that can break and pose a choking hazard, and electronics that overheat or explode.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

New study outlines issues, case studies and remedies for U.S. recycling across the country

Recycling challenges vary across the country, but, overall, states are failing to both reduce unnecessary waste and adjust to a changing recycling landscape, according to a new study from U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America Research & Policy Center.

News Release | U.S. PIRG

CDC estimates at least 35,000 die from drug-resistant infections annually

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its new Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States report, which estimates at least 35,000 Americans die annually from infections that antibiotics can no longer effectively treat.

  • Trouble In Toyland
    Our report highlights the toys that have been recently recalled, explains the hazards they pose, and shines a spotlight on those that may still be available for sale online.
    Get the tips
  • Why are health experts alarmed?
    More than 93% of doctors are concerned about the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms, yet factory farms still use up to 70% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S.
    Learn why
  • Reclaim our democracy
    Our democracy is based on the principle of one person, one vote, but our research shows the increasing dominance of big money in our elections.
    Get the facts
  • PROTECT YOURSELF
    We've created consumer tips to help protect you from unfair bank fees, identity theft, loan rip-offs and more.
    Get The Tips

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