News Releases

News Release | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Democracy

New Report Released: Auctioning Democracy: The Rise of Super PACs and the 2012 Election

Today NJPIRG Law and Policy Center, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, and Demos released a new analysis of the funding sources for the campaign finance behemoths, Super PACs. The findings confirmed what many have predicted in the wake of the Supreme Court’s damaging Citizens United decision: since their inception in 2010, Super PACs have been primarily funded by a small segment of very wealthy individuals and business interests, with a small but significant amount of funds coming from secret sources.

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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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News Release | NJPIRG | Democracy, Tax

Thirty Fortune 500 Companies Paid More to Lobby Congress than they Did in Federal Income Taxes

With the second anniversary approaching of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case – which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections – NJPIRG and Citizens for Tax Justice reveal 30 corporations, including one based in New Jersey, that spent more to lobby Congress than they did in taxes.

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News Release | NJPIRG | Financial Reform

President’s Recess Appointment Gives Watchdog Teeth It Needs

Kudos to President Obama for standing up for consumers this week by making a recess appointment of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The President’s action means that the CFPB now has all its powers to protect the public from unfair financial practices, whether by banks or other financial firms, such as payday lenders and credit bureaus.

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News Release | NJPIRG | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform

’Tis the Season For Prepaid Card Hidden Fees

As consumers flock to retailers during the holiday season and as the use of prepaid cards continues to expand rapidly, NJPIRG joined Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) to introduce The Prepaid Card Consumer Protection Act to curb hidden fees associated with many of these cards.