Maryland Passes ID Theft Protection

Maryland legislators passed two Maryland PIRG-backed bills to protect consumers from identity theft.

Security freeze legislation gives each consumer the option to “lock” his or her credit file. When a security freeze is in place, only the consumer can authorize access to the credit report by providing a secure PIN code. Meanwhile, identity thieves are frozen out cold. A consumer may temporarily or permanently lift the freeze when he or she is applying for credit.

Breach notification requires companies to notify consumers if their personal financial information has been lost or stolen.

In 2005, 4,848 people were defrauded in Maryland for an average of $1900 each. The common-sense consumer protections passed by the General Assembly will give consumers the information and tools they need to protect themselves from identity theft.

Public Financing Fails By One Vote

This spring, state lawmakers missed the opportunity to pass legislation that would allow public financing of campaigns.

Ninety-two percent of Marylanders believe that campaign contributors influence policy decisions. This perception, accurate or not, is not healthy for our democracy or our state. Other states, notably Maine and Arizona, utilize public financing systems and the Connecticut legislature recently passed public financing and will be implementing the system for their 2008 legislative elections.

SB 546, passed by the House of Delegates and rejected by one vote on the Senate floor, would have established voluntary public financing of campaigns and helped make our elections about ideas and merit, rather than a contest of fundraising prowess.

Victory On Paper Trail

The Maryland General Assembly passed Maryland PIRG-backed legislation that requires our state’s voting system to produce a paper record of votes cast that can be used in case of a recount.

“We are pleased that the General Assembly took this important step toward securing Maryland’s elections,” said John Schneider, a spokesperson for the Maryland Election Integrity Coalition.

Public concern over the security of our touch-screen voting machines prompted the Maryland State Legislature to consider restricting the use of touch-screen voting machines like the ones currently used in Maryland.

Under the new legislation the State Board of Election shall develop new voting machine standards to be met by the 2010 election, contingent on funding by FY09.

E-Cycling Program Expanded

Got an old TV set collecting dust in your basement? As of January 1, 2008 you’ll be able to recycle that television through an expansion of the state’s electronics recycling program.

E-cycling in Maryland is a story of slow and steady gains.

In 2004, Maryland PIRG participated in a workgroup to study options for boosting recycling of consumer electronics. A year later, we worked with Del. Dan Morhaim to establish a statewide computer recycling pilot program, which proved very successful.

This year we helped pass a bill that makes the computer-recycling program permanent, expands the program to include televisions, and increases the fees manufacturers pay to fund the program. Manufacturers can avoid the administration fee if they provide their own take-back recycling program.

House Moves To Harness Medicare’s Buying Power

A PIRG-backed bill would harness the buying power of Medicare to drive better deals on prescription drugs for millions of Americans.

The bill, adopted by the House in January, would allow the Medicare program to negotiate bulk-purchase discounts for prescription drugs. As this newsletter goes to print, the Senate Finance Committee has taken up the bill. When Congress created the prescription drug benefit in 2003, lawmakers prohibited Medicare from negotiating discounted prices with drug manufacturers, a concession to the pharmaceutical industry.

The House vote is a move to correct that mistake. The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act would save money for taxpayers, who pay for nearly 75 percent of the drug program. It would also lower drug costs for seniors in the “doughnut hole” coverage gap, who have to pay thousands of dollars for their medications.

TJX Data Breach: Need for ID Theft Reform

The January disclosure of a data security breach at TJX stores (including TJ Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls) gave advocates new ammunition for our identity theft work.

The breach is just the latest demonstrations of why identity theft reforms are needed. New laws, based on a model law developed by U.S. PIRG, the federation of state PIRGs, and Consumers Union, have already been enacted in over two-dozen states, requiring timely notification of any data breaches.

TJX not only failed to announce the breach for several months—in February they reported that the data breach happened at least 10 months longer than previously thought. With no national requirement for disclosure of breaches, and no penalty for companies, there’s little recourse for consumers.

The attorneys general of Massa-chusetts and Rhode Island have opened formal investigations into the conduct of TJX over the breach. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, herself a victim of identity theft, has promised to make cracking down on the crime a priority of her tenure.

MASSPIRG is leading efforts to give their residents the right to timely notification of corporate databreaches and the right to place low-cost, easy-to-use security freezes on their credit reports. Maryland PIRG secured a victory for consumers when both laws were enacted this spring.

Local Campaigns Defend Public Transit Alternatives

	STATE TRANSIT CAMPAIGNS—Eric Bourassa is advocating better public transit in Massachusetts, one of several states where PIRGs are pushing for better transit policies.

PIRG campaigns nationwide are seeking to advance public transportation that helps people save time and energy, while cutting pollution from cars and trucks.

In California, we’re building a statewide coalition of seniors, environmental advocates, disability rights advocates, and others to sign onto a platform opposing cuts to transit funding. CALPIRG is also educating opinion leaders about the proposed cuts in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget.

In Illinois, a combination of outdated public funding mechanisms and rising costs has forced some tough decisions. Illinois PIRG hopes to partner with community groups this summer to run a public education campaign on transit advocacy.

In Massachusetts, the local transit authority has raised fares for the third time in seven years, in part to pay off debt incurred by projects related to the “Big Dig” construction project.

MASSPIRG is helping to organize a Transportation Investment Coalition that includes business and labor interests, as well as public interest and environmental groups.

In 2006, Pennsylvania, PennPIRG supported Gov. Ed Rendell’s plan to create dedicated transit funding through fees on oil companies.

Thousands of PennPIRG members and other supporters have signed postcards to legislators calling for action to improve the state’s transit system.

Cutting Excessive Subsidies To Oil And Gas Companies

We applauded the U.S. House of Representatives in January, as lawmakers voted 264 to 163 to pass the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6).

The bill would repeal tax breaks and subsidies for the oil industry and invest more than $14 billion in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“This legislation is good news for consumers and our environment,” said U.S. PIRG’s Kate Johnson. “Our dependence on oil can only mean wrenching price hikes in the years to come. We need to develop alternative fuels and we need to start now.”

Our staff helped write and promote the legislation, which was included in Speaker Pelosi’s “100 hours” agenda.

The fund created by the bill could be used to promote energy efficiency, expand research and development of clean energy technologies, and extend tax credits for clean energy sources.