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October 2003 << Home >> December 2003

November 25, 2003	Medicare drug plan fattens pharmaceuticals’ wallets while emptying those of consumers An analysis by CU shows seniors will continue to pay top dollar for prescriptions and have fewer choices in doctors under the Medicare prescription drug plan passed today by the Senate, leaving seniors without the real relief they were promised by Congress.
	Consumer Groups Offer Blueprint for Mutual Fund Reform Call on the Senate to provide needed reforms to fund operations, oversight, regulation, and sales to restore badly damaged investor confidence.
November 21, 2003	Consumers Get Huge Victory With Senate’s Defeat Of Pork-Laden Energy Bill Congress now has opportunity to tackle real energy reforms.
	Holiday shopping season could be best in four years, but buyers need to be cautious An optimistic sales outlook has retailers feeling merry and bright about the 2003 holiday shopping season, but consumers need to be cautious lest they wake up with a holiday deficit hangover at the start of the New Year. Consumers Union offers valuable shopping tips for the season.
November 20, 2003	House Passes “Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act” That Will Mean More Competition, Lower Prices A bill passed Wednesday by the House that requires eye doctors to give patients their contact lens prescriptions is expected to encourage vigorous competition in the contact lens market and ultimately result in lower prices for consumers.
	Defeat the Flawed Energy Bill In a letter to the U.S. Senate, Consumers Union sharply criticizes an energy bill to be considered by the Senate on Friday, calling it "a multi-billion dollar grab bag giveaway to special interests that will result in a permanent and unjustifiable transfer of wealth from consumers' pocketbooks to energy producing companies."
November 19, 2003	CU Commends House Passage on Regulation of Mutual Funds Recent revelations about mutual fund managers promoting their own interests over those of their shareholders and the fact that 95 million Americans have placed their money - and their trust - in mutual funds, provide strong incentives for reform. Read more
	Tips for Switching Your Cell Phone Number What you should know when switching cell phone companies.
November 18, 2003	Public members sought for Texas Manufactured Housing Board The Governor's office is now accepting applications to fill two "public member" vacancies in the five-member governing board of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs Manufactured Housing Division.
November 17, 2003	Cell Phone Customers Deserve Protection Consumer groups are denouncing the wireless phone industry's campaign against a California proposal that would give cell phone users new rights.
	CU analysis shows medicare drug benefit is bad for consumers Report shows you could pay more out-of-pocket. To read the report, click here. To calculate your drug costs under the Medicare drug plan, click here.
	Four Good Reasons To Stop a Bad Energy Bill CU and CFA wrote to Congress and gave four reasons why they should defeat the energy "deal."
	REPORT - CU Analysis of the Conference Committee Proposal on Medicare Prescription Drugs "Medicare Prescription Drugs: Conference Committee Agreement Asks Beneficiaries to Pay Too High A Price For Modest Benefit"
	Medicare prescription drug proposal asks consumers to pay too high a price A boon to special interests; fails to curb drug prices.
November 15, 2003	CU Applauds Media Ownership Cap in Spending Bill Congressional Leaders Stand Up for Media Diversity, Localism.
November 14, 2003	CU Opposes Daisy Air Gun Settlement Education and information campaigns have not been effective in past at preventing injuries.
November 13, 2003	Grantmaking Accountability Template: The California Endownment Case Study CU conducted this Case Study with the aid of The California Endowment (TCE) to develop and test the Grantmaking Accountability Template --a tool we developed for categorizing a foundation’s grantmaking to provide an objective basis on which communities and foundations can engage in conversation about meeting community needs.
	Advancing Accountability (report) A Tool for Transparent Foundation Grantmaking By Debbie Greiff and Harry Snyder Edited by Elizabeth Imholz West Coast Regional Office
November 11, 2003	Consumer Checklist for Nov. 24 Cell Phone ‘Independence Day’ On November 24 consumers will be able to take their cell phone number with them and also transfer their home phone number to their cell phone. Click here for cell phone shopping tips.
November 10, 2003	Tell Your Senators Today to Overturn FCC Media Ownership Rules Vote Expected on Appropriations Bill to Rollback Loose Media Ownership Rules.
November 05, 2003	CU Praises Senate Vote To Prohibit Energy Market Manipulation Amendment would address Enron-style market manipulation.
	CU Supports Bill Requiring Fire Safety Standards for Furniture, Mattresses and Candles New guidelines expected to save thousands of lives each year.
	Ban Manipulation of Electricity Markets: Support the Cantwell Amendment CU joins other groups urging Senators to support Sen. Cantwell's amendment to prohibit energy market manupulation, which is offered to the Senate agriculture appropriation bill (H.R. 2673).
	New ATV Injury Data Indicates "Public Health Crisis;" CU Calls on Congress to Protect Children Injuries to kids under 16 from All Terrain Vehicles increases again.
	You Can't Take The Money & Run Court Prohibits Nonprofit Hospital Chain from Removing Community Assets
	Nonprofit Hospital Conversions
	Keeping the Trust: Holding Nonprofit Hospitals to Their Charitable Missions
	It's All in the Numbers: A Beginner’s Guide To Charity Care Analysis
November 04, 2003	Senate Fails to Give Consumers the Right to Control Their Private Financial Information Americans expected to continue to demand rights as problems arise.
	CU Applauds California Transmission Grid Proposal CU applauded California Treasurer Phil Angelides for proposing a coordinated and comprehensive plan by California's energy agencies to ensure the reliability of the state’s electricity grid. At a news conference in support of the Treasurer’s initiative, the group outlined a number of issues it hoped would be incorporated in the final Medicare Modernization Act of the proposal.
	Testimony USFDA Regarding Animal Cloning: A Risk Assessment Testimony Before The US Food And Drug Administration Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee on FDA’s Medicare Modernization Act Executive Summary of Animal Cloning: A Risk Assessment By Michael K. Hansen, PH.D. Consumer Policy Institute, Consumers Union
November 03, 2003	CU Applauds FCC Action Against AT&T for Apparent Violations of the Do-Not-Call List CU Statement on Monday, Novemeber 3 announcement by the FCC to assess a $780,000 forteiture against AT&T Corporation for apparent violations of the Commission's Do-No-Call telemarketing rules.
	CU Files Motion To Strike Sharper Image Lawsuit Under California Anti-SLAPP Statute CU has filed a motion to strike Sharper Image’s product disparagement lawsuit under a California statute that protects against lawsuits designed to chill constitutional rights, particularly the right to free speech.

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