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Archived Articles at Consumersunion.org

May 2003 << Home >> July 2003

June 30, 2003	CU Comments Regarding Genetically Engineered Food Comments by CU's Michael Hansen to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regarding Genetically Engineered Food
	New Texas office to represent health care patients Effective September 1, Texas health care consumers will have a new public advocate to simplify and streamline the complaint process before agencies regulating health care professionals -- including the Texas Board of Medical Examiners -- and represent consumer interests before such agencies.
	CU Urges California Lawmakers to Ban Use of Credit Histories for Setting Homeowners Insurance Rates Insurance companies should not be allowed to use customers' credit scores and histories to set homeowner insurance rates according to Consumers Union.
June 27, 2003	California to Begin Auto Insurance Rate Review California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi granted a statewide petition filed by consumer and community groups and the cities of Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco to bar insurance companies from basing their auto rates mostly on a driver’s ZIP code.
	National "Do Not Call List" Registration Begins The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have launched the National Do Not Call Registry to offer consumers a simple way to curb most unwanted telemarketing calls. Find out how to sign up for the list here.
	CU statement expressing disappointment with the Medicare prescription drug bills Statement by Gail Shearer, Director of Health Policy Analysis of Consumers Union Washington Office Expressing Disappointment with the Medicare Prescription Drug Bills That Passed in the House and Senate
June 26, 2003	NHTSA Legislation Includes Important Safety Provisions Addressing Vehicle Backovers Consumers Union commends the Senate Commerce Committee for including life-saving safety provisions in the NHTSA reauthorization legislation approved today.
June 25, 2003	CU Urges the Senate to Improve the Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act As the Senate continues to debate the "Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act of 2003," CU urges the Senate to redouble their efforts to improve the legislation so that it better meets the needs of seniors and people with disabilities.
	CU Testimony Regarding Genetically Engineered Food CU believes that genetically engineered food offers both potential benefits and potential risks for consumers. We have therefore long advocated that these foods should have to go through an approval process at the Food and Drug Administration.
	CU Disappointed With House and Senate Medicare Prescription Drug Bills The House and Senate are considering Medicare prescription drug legislation. Find out how the skimpy benefits contained in these plans will shortchange seniors and the disabled - and destroy Medicare as we know it.
	CU Urges Senate to Vote on the Diverse Media Bill before the August Recess Letter sent to the Senate asking the Senate leadership to vote before the August recess on S. 1046, the Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity, and Competition in Television Broadcast Service Act of 2003.
June 24, 2003	State Legislative Alert: Uniform Commercial Code Article 1 The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws has approved a revision of Uniform Commercial Code Article 1. This revision will be offered for enactment in every state legislature. Article 1 is important to consumers because it sets the basic ground rules for all transactions governed by the UCC, including personal property secured transactions such as car loans, sales of goods, personal checks and promissory notes.
	CU urges Representatives to vote NO on HR 2473, the WRONG prescription for Medicare reform The House bill would privatize Medicare and fails to provide reliable, affordable coverage for beneficiaires.
	California Ephedra Ban Faces Critical Vote in State Legislature On July 1, The California Assembly Health Committee will hold a hearing and vote on SB 582, which would ban the sale of hazardous dietary supplements containing ephedra.
	CU President Praises Verizon Announcement Statement by Jim Guest, President of Consumers Union, praising today's announcement by Verizon regarding wireless number portability--”They Heard Us Now!”
June 23, 2003	New Texas Law To Help Combat Identity Theft Privacy Rights Coalition Hails Measure As Critical First Step
June 20, 2003	Association Health Plans Bill Shortchanges Working Americans Statement by Ami Gadhia, Washington DC office regarding the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2003.
June 19, 2003	CU Praises Vote To Overturn FCC Media Ownership Rules CU's Gene Kimmelman praised the Senate Commerce Committee for its vote to overrule the Federal Communications Commission's decision to deregulate media ownership.
	CU supports "Ease of Use" Child Safety Seat Ratings CU joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in announcing a new system to rate the ease of installing child safety seats to improve safety and encourage manufacturers to make more user-friendly and vehicle compatible car seats.
June 18, 2003	Continuing Violations And Quality Problems With Nursing Homes Uncovered By Three Year "Watch List" Quality of care issues continue to plague the U.S. nursing home industry, with many nursing homes being cited repeatedly for violations that may put residents at serious risk, according to a report released by the Center for Consumer Health Choices at Consumers Union.
	What the Texas Governor Isn't Telling Us Are Texas Consumers Better Off? Reggie James, director of CU's Southwest Regional Office, gives a grade of "D" to the Texas Legislature and Gov. Rick Perry's efforts to help consumers.
June 17, 2003	CU Testifies Before Congress Regarding the News Corp./DirecTV Merger Given the current concentration in the media marketplace, CU believes that the proposed merger between network and cable giant News Corp. and DirecTV, the largest direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service provider, will further increase prices for consumers and decrease the diversity of voices in the media marketplace.
	CU Urges Congress to Oppose the Small Business Health Fairness Act Consumers Union is committed to helping ensure that consumers receive affordable, high-quality health care and join members of Congress in seeking workable solutions.
	CU Supports Consumer Product Safety Commission Reauthorization In Senate testimony, CU called on Congress to re-authorize the Consumer Product Safety Commission, with changes in the Commission’s authority to get the public more product safety information.
	CU Concerns Over Abusive Practices at Ernst & Young Letter to the Chair of the SEC regarding concerns over practices at Ernst & Young that we believe systematically undermine the recently adopted requirement that audit committees pre-approve non-audit services.
	Skimpy benefits -- CU issues report on Medicare prescription drug legislation The Senate and the House are rushing Medicare prescription drug legislation through Congress over the next two weeks. Consumer expectations will not be met, according to a CU analysis just released.
June 16, 2003	CU Urges California Lawmakers to Ban Ephedra A key vote on SB 582, which would ban the sale of dietary supplements containing ephdra in California, will take place on June 24.
	Letter to the Senate Regarding Wireless Industry's Request For Delay Of Wireless Portability
	Groups Urge Congress to Oppose Wireless Industry's Request for Further Delay of Wireless Number Portability Requirements Wireless customers should receive the benefit of number portability by November 24 of this year and not a day later. After all, many are already paying for it by way of a separate surcharge in their bills now.
June 14, 2003	Insurance 'Reform' Misses the Mark in Texas Leading consumer groups are calling Governor Perry’s signing of insurance reform legislation a “missed opportunity for Texas homeowners.”
June 11, 2003	CU Supports "The Auditor Independence and Tax Shelters Act" Letter to Senator Levin supporting Medicare Modernization Act legislation, "The Auditor Independence and Tax Shelters Act," which would shore up the auditor independence reforms of last year’s landmark corporate reform legislation.
	Groups opposed to the "Class Action Fairness Act" Groups such as the AARP and the Consumer Federation of America are opposed to S.274 - The Class Action Fairness Act".
	CU Statement Regarding the "Class Action Fairness Act" Statement by Sally Greenburg of Consumers Union, Washington DC office criticizing the passage of H.R. 1115 - "Class Action Fairness Act".
June 10, 2003	No silver bullet for SARS Despite the health claims, ingesting or inhaling colloidal silver is potentially toxic and won’t keep you from getting SARS or any other virus.
June 09, 2003	Leading National Consumer Groups Charge Audit Firm with Undermining Key Auditor Independence Reform At least one of the Big Four audit firms is exploiting loopholes in the recently adopted auditor independence rules to systematically undermine the requirement that audit committees review and pre-approve any non-audit services to be provided by the company’s independent auditor, five of the nation’s leading consumer groups have charged.
June 05, 2003	CU comments to the Consumer Product Safety Commission on all-terrain vehicles Between 1993 and 2001, the number of injuries caused by ATV-related accidents more than doubled, with 111,700 ATV accidents occurring in 2001.
	Opposition Letter to the House Regarding The Class Action Fairness Act of 2003 CU letter to the House urging opposition to H.R. 1115, The Class Action Fairness Act of 2003.
June 04, 2003	Summary of California Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) on Financial Privacy CU Letter to the Chair of the California Senate Banking Committee regarding SB 1 - Financial Privacy. This bill protects consumers by giving consumers control over their personal financial information and allows them to make informed decisions regarding the use of this information.
	Protecting Health Assets and Services: Where Do We Go From Here Community Health Assets Project has announced a national conference for health care advocates on November 13 and 14 in Chicago.
June 03, 2003	CU Launches Campaign to Overturn FCC Rule Changes CU has launched a campaign to help marshal the diverse interests across the political spectrum who want to make sure that localism, diversity and competition are preserved.
	How Good are Your State's Nursing Homes? Quality of care issues continue to plague the U.S. nursing home industry, with many nursing homes being cited repeatedly for violations that may put residents at serious risk, according to a report released today by the Center for Consumer Health Choices at Consumers Union. The report, "How Good are Your State's Nursing Homes?" is based on a comprehensive national analysis of state inspection surveys of nursing home facilities and enforcement actions.
	Letter to the Leaders of the House Regarding the Class Action Fairness Act Professors of constitutional law, civil procedure, and other subjects, at law schools across the nation wrote a letter discussing their concerns over the so-called "Class Action Fairness Act".
June 02, 2003	Building for a Healthy Future: Sustaining School-Based Enrollment in Health Insurance Programs
	Phony health insurance Dozens of companies selling bogus health insurance plans have left tens of thousands of people without coverage and with millions in unpaid medical bills.
June 01, 2003	Steer clear of online job scams Being unemployed is bad enough. But job seekers have a new worry: falling victim to criminals and con artists prowling Internet job-posting services.
	FCC Loosens Media Ownership Rules The FCC has ignored its obligation to ensure that healthy civic discourse is not threatened by corporate media monopolization

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