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Report | Democracy

Following the Money: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data

State governments across the country have been moving toward making their checkbooks transparent by creating online transparency portals – government-operated websites that allow visitors to see who receives state money and for what purposes. Forty states provide transparency websites that allow residents to access databases of government expenditures with “checkbook-level” detail. Most of these websites are also searchable, making it easier for residents to follow the money and monitor government spending.

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Media Hit | Tax

CT News Junkie: Report: Connecticut Failing on Spending Transparency

The second annual “Following the Money” report by the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group gave the state failing marks on government transparency due to its lack of internet information on government spending.

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Media Hit | Transportation

The Day: Central College Express

Escalating gas prices make the idea of a refurbished, passenger-carrying Central Corridor Rail line all the more enticing. Its potential to boost economic growth could make it a winner.

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Media Hit | Food

Food Safety News: USDA Unveils New School Lunch Standards

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday unveiled proposed nutritional standards for meals served through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, the first major upgrade to nutritional requirements in 15 years. The tougher standards are part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, recently signed into law by President Obama, that aims to reduce both childhood hunger and obesity.

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News Release | ConnPIRG Education Fund | Health Care

Healthcare Repeal Would Have Costly Consequences for Connecticut Consumers and Small Businesses

Consumers and small businesses in Connecticut will face significantly higher insurance premiums and could see costly coverage denials and price discrimination if efforts to repeal the federal health care law prevail in Congress or in the courts, according to The Cost of Repeal: Examining the Impact on Connecticut of Repealing the New Federal Health Care Law, a new report released today by ConnPIRG.  

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News Release | ConnPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Consumer Group Alerts Shoppers to Hidden Toy Hazards

Hazardous toys are still sold in stores across the country, despite a new law overhauling the nation’s product safety watchdog agency, according to the 23rd annual toy safety survey released today by the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group (ConnPIRG). The group also warned that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is taking actions to delay one of the new law’s toxic toy protections indefinitely.

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News Release | ConnPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Retailers Misleading Consumers on the Digital Television (DTV) Transition

Retail sales clerks are providing inaccurate or misleading information about the upcoming digital transition and these mixed signals will cost consumers time and money, according to "Mixed Signals: How TV Retailers Mislead Consumers on the Digital Television (DTV) Transition," a new report released today by ConnPIRG.

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Report | Transportation

Economic Stimulus or Simply More Misguided Spending?

This fall, Congress asked states to submit lists of “ready-to-go” transportation infrastructure projects that could be funded by the stimulus package. Lists from nineteen state departments of transportation (DOTs) show that the broader goals articulated by President-elect Obama will be undermined if Congress, the Administration, and the states do not establish forward-looking rules for spending stimulus funds.

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Report | Consumer Protection

Trouble In Toyland: The 23rd Annual Survey of Toy Safety

The 2008 "Trouble in Toyland" report is the 23rd annual Connecticut Public Interest Research Group (ConnPIRG) survey of toy safety. This report provides safety guidelines for parents when purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.

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Report | Consumer Protection

The Campus Credit Card Trap

This study is an in-person survey of a diverse sample of over 1500 students, primarily single undergraduates, at 40 large and small schools and universities in 14 states around the country conducted between October 2007 and February 2008. It analyzes how students pay for their education, how many use and how they use their credit cards and, finally, their attitudes toward credit card marketing on campus and whether or not they support principles to rein in credit card marketing on campus.

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Report | Transportation

A Better Way To Go

This report shows why rail, rapid buses and other forms of public transit must play a more prominent role in America’s future transportation system.

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Report | Consumer Protection

Mixed Signals: How TV Retailers Mislead Consumers on the Digital Television (DTV) Transition

One year from now 22 million Americans who rely on free over-the-air analog broadcasting will be at risk of losing access to TV. On February 17, 2009, analog televisions that receive over-the-air signals will go dark, unless they are retrofitted with digital converter boxes. For many Americans who are hearing about the transition for the first time, information about the change comes from electronic store retailers, where consumers ask what is necessary to maintain TV reception-- a primary source for news, information and entertainment.

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  • Apples To Twinkies
    Find out how government subsidies disproportionately benefit junk food over fresh fruit and vegetables.
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  • Wall Street Reform
    Find out how Wall Street Reform protects consumers and the economy.
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  • 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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