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MASSPIRG Equifax Breach 091217

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News Release | Public Health, Consumer Protection

Agency votes to begin rulemaking process to protect American children, firefighters from hazardous flame retardant chemicals

Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took three critical steps toward protecting consumers and firefighters from the hazards posed by a class of flame retardant chemicals (known as “organohalogens”). The CPSC directed the Commission’s staff to begin the rulemaking process to ban the sale of four categories of consumer products if they contain these chemicals. Once again, the CPSC has made an important action for consumers.

News Release | MASSPIRG | Consumer Protection

MASSPIRG Commends Attorney General for Suing Equifax

Attorney General Maura Healey and her office files the first state or federal enforcement action to hold the wrongdoer Equifax accountable for failing to protect the financial DNA of up to 3 million Massachusetts residents among the reported 143 million consumer victims nationwide.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Time for MA to Pass the Free Credit Freeze Bill | Deirdre Cummings

State legislative committee to hold hearing on free credit freeze bill. Equifax’s massive security breach – affecting 3 million Massachusetts residents and 143 million Americans nationwide – is a timely reminder of the need to allow consumers to lock down or “freeze” their credit reports to prevent ID theft.

Blog Post | Transportation

MASSPIRG Testimony in Favor of Transitioning to 100% Renewable Energy | Matthew Casale

MASSPIRG Staff Attorney Matt Casale testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utitlies, and Energy in favor a bill that would require the state to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Blog Post | Transportation

MASSPIRG Testimony in Favor of Bill to Improve Rail Service Between Springfield and Boston | Matthew Casale

On September 18, MASSPIRG Staff Attorney Matt Casale testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Transportation in favor of H3428 - An act relative to improving passenger rail service between Springfield and Boston.

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News Release | Public Health, Consumer Protection

Agency votes to begin rulemaking process to protect American children, firefighters from hazardous flame retardant chemicals

Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took three critical steps toward protecting consumers and firefighters from the hazards posed by a class of flame retardant chemicals (known as “organohalogens”). The CPSC directed the Commission’s staff to begin the rulemaking process to ban the sale of four categories of consumer products if they contain these chemicals. Once again, the CPSC has made an important action for consumers.

News Release | MASSPIRG | Consumer Protection

MASSPIRG Commends Attorney General for Suing Equifax

Attorney General Maura Healey and her office files the first state or federal enforcement action to hold the wrongdoer Equifax accountable for failing to protect the financial DNA of up to 3 million Massachusetts residents among the reported 143 million consumer victims nationwide.

Media Hit | Transportation

Boston's seaport eyed for testing new traffic management system

MASSPIRG's Matt Casale appeared on Fox 25 Boston to talk about the city's new traffic management system.

News Release | Public Health, Consumer Protection

Statement on Unilever Starting to Disclose Fragrances via SmartLabel

Statement from MASSPIRG Toxics Advocate Dev Gowda on Unilever Starting to Disclose Fragrances via SmartLabel

News Release | MASSPIRG | Consumer Protection

Equifax Offers Incomplete Protection After Breach

Consumers should know the risks and limits of what Equifax is offering and consider getting credit freezes with all three national credit bureaus instead.

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Result | Democracy

Winning voter reforms in Massachusetts

MASSPIRG helped win two important reforms to engage new voters and give all citizens an equal opportunity to vote. We fought for and won online voter registration, which allows residents with state IDs or driver’s licenses to register to vote online. We also won early voting, which allows residents to vote 11 business days before Election Day.

Result | Democracy

Delivering one million petitions to President Obama on dark money

U.S. PIRG joined a broad coalition to deliver one million petitions from Americans, including U.S. PIRG members and supporters, calling on President Obama to shine a light on dark money, or secret political spending.

Result | Consumer Protection

30 years of toy safety

For the past thirty years, our sister organization U.S. PIRG Education Fund has taken a close look at the safety of toys sold in stores. Their reports have led to more than 150 regulatory actions. In November 2015, they released our 30th annual Trouble in Toyland report.

Result | Democracy

Giving more Americans a greater voice in our elections

In our democracy, the size of your wallet shouldn’t determine the volume of your voice. In 2015, we helped win reforms in Maine and Seattle to ensure that more Americans have a greater say in our elections. Seattle’s Initiative-122 empowers small donors with “democracy vouchers” that can be donated to local candidates and lowers the cap on contributions. In Maine, the state’s Clean Elections Act was improved by strengthening campaign finance disclosure laws and offering qualifying candidates increased public funding.

Result | Public Health

Convincing McDonald’s and Subway to protect public health

In 2015, bolstered by the support of more than 100,000 members and supporters, we convinced both McDonald’s and Subway to take action to protect public health. In March, just two days after we delivered more than 30,000 petitions to McDonald’s headquarters, the company announced that they would stop serving chicken raised on medically-important antibiotics. And in October, after more than 100,000 called on the chain to take action, Subway announced a similar policy for all the meat they serve.

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Report | MASSPIRG Education Fund | Public Health

Back to School Kit

Our children need safe drinking water – especially at school where they go to learn and play each day. Unfortunately, lead is contaminating drinking water at schools and pre-schools across the country and here in Massachusetts.

Report | MASSPIRG Education Fund | Transportation

From Deceit to Transformation

Volkswagen (VW) perpetuated a fraud on the American people, deceiving consumers into believing that they were getting the best possible combination of performance and sustainability. But VW’s promises were nothing more than lies that significantly harmed our collective health and the health of our environment. As a result of the settlements that followed this fraud, an Environmental Mitigation Trust (EMT) was set up with $2.9 billion dollars to be distributed to states to reduce transportation emissions, with $75 million coming to Massachusetts.

Report | MASSPIRG | Health Care

Prescription for Rate Hikes

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Report | MASSPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform

Protecting the People Who Protect US

How the CFPB protects and serves our military service members and their families.

Report | MASSPIRG | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform

Protecting Those Who Serve

Boston, MA – Debt collection abuses were the leading source (32%) of 44,000 servicemember complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), according to a new report. Further, Congress is taking up a bill this week intended to cripple the CFPB and would place servicemembers, veterans and their families in “financial harm’s way,” thereby threatening unit preparedness.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Time for MA to Pass the Free Credit Freeze Bill | Deirdre Cummings

State legislative committee to hold hearing on free credit freeze bill. Equifax’s massive security breach – affecting 3 million Massachusetts residents and 143 million Americans nationwide – is a timely reminder of the need to allow consumers to lock down or “freeze” their credit reports to prevent ID theft.

Blog Post | Transportation

MASSPIRG Testimony in Favor of Transitioning to 100% Renewable Energy | Matthew Casale

MASSPIRG Staff Attorney Matt Casale testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utitlies, and Energy in favor a bill that would require the state to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Blog Post | Transportation

MASSPIRG Testimony in Favor of Bill to Improve Rail Service Between Springfield and Boston | Matthew Casale

On September 18, MASSPIRG Staff Attorney Matt Casale testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Transportation in favor of H3428 - An act relative to improving passenger rail service between Springfield and Boston.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Consumer Tips and FAQ about the Equifax Breach | Mike Litt

Hackers gained access to the personal data of as many as 143 million Americans in the Equifax breach. Here are some recommended actions consumers can take to protect themselves and answers to frequently asked questions.

Blog Post | Public Health

During This Intense Hurricane Season: Some Reports and Information On Storms, Chemicals and Public Safety | Kara Cook-Schultz

Hurricane Harvey was a natural disaster, and a devastating one at that. During and after the hurricane, we learned anew that it’s not only the initial storm that threatens life and limb, but also chemical facilities that are hit. As Irma bears down on Florida, we hope for the best outcome for the people of Florida. We also want the state to prepare for the worst. In that spirit, here are some resources and information on storms, chemicals and public safety.

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What You Need To Know About The Equifax Breach

Hackers gained access to the personal data of as many as 143 million Americans in the Equifax breach. Learn how to protect yourself.

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CONSUMER PROTECTIONS AT RISK

Congress is one step closer to rolling back consumer protections established after the 2008 financial crisis. Help keep the financial cop on the beat.

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CALL ON L’ORÉAL TO GO TOXIC-FREE

We should know whether the products we use on our bodies are safe. Tell L'Oreal to be a leader and Pledge to be Toxic-Free.

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Victory for public health

KFC just announced that they’re going to stop serving chicken raised on our life-saving medicines. This is a major step forward in our efforts to stop the overuse of antibiotics.

TELL KFC: THANK YOU

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