Director, Campaign to Defend the Consumer Bureau
Illinois PIRG Latest Blog Posts
7/26/2021
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau celebrated its 10th birthday last Wednesday. It begins its second decade refocused on its mission of protecting you and me after a few years of, ironically, championing shady business practices over consumers. The agency’s first decade was full of success, setbacks, and promise.
7/20/2021
Today, the U.S. House takes a key vote. HR2668, the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act, would restore the FTC's Section 13(b) authority to hold wrongdoers accountable and compensate consumer-victims harmed by their actions. The Supreme Court had recently ruled that the power, used for over 40 years to recover billions, was not clearly articulated in law.
Cover photo via Flickr by Mr. Blue MauMau, some rights reserved.
7/15/2021
Next week, the full House of Representatives is expected to vote on HR2668, critical legislation to restore Federal Trade Commission authority to disgorge ill-gotten gains from corporate wrongdoers to use to compensate victims of the crime. This spring, the Supreme Court had held that the power was not clearly defined in law, even though courts had upheld the authority for many years, allowing the FTC to return billions of dollars to consumers.
-- Cover graphic of FTC Building via Flickr, by Boston Public Library, Some rights reserved.
7/15/2021
How the pandemic has worsened the medical debt crisis
7/13/2021
Wendy's, the third largest burger chain in the country, committed to prohibiting the routine use of medically important antibotics in its meat supply chains by the end of 2030.
7/9/2021
How drug companies keep prices high through tricky marketing and sales tactics
7/9/2021
If you’re stunned that safety standards for inclined sleepers weren’t required before, get this: The new rules don’t take effect for a year. That’s one of the problems in the world of infant sleep.
7/8/2021
From Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, people just want to fix their stuff.
7/2/2021
As Microsoft joins the $2 trillion club, a shareholder group presses for Right to Repair