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STANDING AGAINST THE BIG BANKS AND WALL STREET — For more than 20 years, Consumer Program Director Ed Mierzwinski has helped us stand up against big banks and credit card companies.

An Independent Voice For Consumers

NJPIRG is a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety, our financial security or our right to fully participate in our democratic society.

For decades, we’ve stood up for consumers, countering the influence of big banks, insurers, chemical manufacturers and other powerful special interests.

Our team of researchers uncovers the facts; our staff bring our findings to the public, through the media as well as one-on-one interactions; and our advocates bring the voice of the public to the halls of power on behalf of consumers.

When consumers are cheated or the voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by special interest lobbyists, NJPIRG speaks up and takes action. We uncover threats to public health and wellbeing and fight to end them, using the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation. NJPIRG’s mission is to deliver persistent, result-oriented public interest activism that protects consumers, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government.

OUR TOP PRIORITIES

Using the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation, NJPIRG stands up to powerful interests and delivers concrete results. 


 

STANDING UP FOR THE PUBLIC ON HEALTH CARE

As our leaders put the health care reform law into practice, we’re working to promote a more competitive health insurance marketplace that lowers costs for consumers. >LEARN MORE
 

 

PUTTING PUBLIC HEALTH AHEAD OF BIG AG

One in three school-age kids are overweight, yet our government is wasting $16 billion each year on subsidies for sugar-laden, high-fat foods. NJPIRG is calling for an end to subsidies for junk. >LEARN MORE
 

 

CHECK CORPORATE MONEY IN POLITICS

NJPIRG is supporting the Shareholder Protection Act, which will allow shareholders, not CEOs, to determine whether and to what degree companies get involved in electoral politics. >LEARN MORE
 


 

NJPIRG Staff — A Partial List

NJPIRG is an advocate for the public interest. When consumers are cheated, or the voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by special interest lobbyists, NJPIRG speaks up and takes action. We uncover threats to public health and well-being and fight for the public interest.


 

JEN KIM

Advocate

(609) 394-8155 x315

>CONTACT
>BIO
 

 

GIDEON WEISSMAN

Program Associate

(609) 394-8155 x313

>CONTACT
>BIO
 

 

HEATHER PLANTE

Administrative Director

(609) 394-8155 x300

>CONTACT
>BIO
 


 

FUNDED BY OUR CITIZEN MEMBERS


Thousands of NJPIRG members and supporters fund our staff so we can counter the influence of lobbyists for the banks, insurance companies and other powerful special interests. To win, we conduct research, educate the public and advocate in the public interest before key decision-makers.

NJPIRG And The Federation Of State Public Interest Research Groups


NJPIRG is an independent, state-based, citizen-funded organization that advocates for the public interest and is a member of U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups.

 

Since 1970, state PIRGs have delivered results-oriented citizen activism, stood up to powerful special interests, and used the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation to win real results on issues that matter.

 

Across the country, state PIRGs employ close to 400 organizers, policy analysts, scientists and attorneys, and are active in 47 states, with a federal lobby office in Washington, D.C. On national issues that impact New Jerseyans, we also coordinate our efforts, pool resources, and share expertise so that we can have the biggest impact — here in New Jersey and for the country at large.

 

What's New

News Release | NJPIRG | Health Care

Governor's Veto Doesn't Undo Need for Health Reform

“Today Gov. Christie brought health reform screeching to a halt in New Jersey.”

“The Governor’s veto doesn’t undo the need for health reform in New Jersey. The Supreme Court decision won’t change the fact that 1.3 million people are uninsured and thousands more are struggling to keep their families covered.”

> Keep Reading
News Release | NJPIRG | Higher Ed

Senate Fails to Delay Interest Rate Hike That Threatens College Affordability, Would Lead to 20% Increases in Cost of College Next Year

In the wake of a failed Senate vote, the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) released a joint report on the looming threat of a major hike in the federal student loan interest rate. If Congress fails to act by July 1, the interest rate for Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan will double, rising to 6.8 percent. 7.4 million American students will see the interest rates on their student loans double, effectively raising the average cost of college by over $1,000 for millions of students and their families.

> Keep Reading
Report | NJPIRG | Higher Ed

The Cost of College Will Soar if Interest Rates Allowed To Double

More than 7 million students and their families rely on Subsidized Stafford Loans to help pay for college. The loans distributed by the U.S. Department of Education currently hold an interest rate of 3.4 percent. But that rate is set to double if Congress fails to act by July 1, 2012. If that occurs, millions of students will see their interest rates soar to 6.8 percent on the new loans they take in the next year thereby causing a steep rise in their loan burden and effectively increasing the cost of attaining a college degree.

> Keep Reading
Media Hit | Higher Ed

The New Student Battle Cry: Don't Double My Rate!

The media and the country are just waking up to the alarming fact that unless Congress acts by July 1, the interest rate on subsidized Stafford student loans will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Congress must not let that happen.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Tax

Letter from Congressman Frank Pallone on the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act | Gideon Weissman

Letter from Congressman Frank Pallone to NJPIRG, announcing that he will become a cosponsor of H.R. 2669, the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.  This bill will close a tax loophole that costs the American public more than $100 billion every single year.  For more on NJPIRG's work on fair tax policy, see our tax issue page here: http://njpirg.org/topics/tax

> Keep Reading

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News Release | NJPIRG | Health Care

Governor's Veto Doesn't Undo Need for Health Reform

“Today Gov. Christie brought health reform screeching to a halt in New Jersey.”

“The Governor’s veto doesn’t undo the need for health reform in New Jersey. The Supreme Court decision won’t change the fact that 1.3 million people are uninsured and thousands more are struggling to keep their families covered.”

> Keep Reading
News Release | NJPIRG | Higher Ed

Senate Fails to Delay Interest Rate Hike That Threatens College Affordability, Would Lead to 20% Increases in Cost of College Next Year

In the wake of a failed Senate vote, the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) released a joint report on the looming threat of a major hike in the federal student loan interest rate. If Congress fails to act by July 1, the interest rate for Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan will double, rising to 6.8 percent. 7.4 million American students will see the interest rates on their student loans double, effectively raising the average cost of college by over $1,000 for millions of students and their families.

> Keep Reading
Media Hit | Higher Ed

The New Student Battle Cry: Don't Double My Rate!

The media and the country are just waking up to the alarming fact that unless Congress acts by July 1, the interest rate on subsidized Stafford student loans will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Congress must not let that happen.

> Keep Reading
News Release | NJPIRG | Tax

Offshore Tax Havens Cost Average New Jersey Taxpayer $668 a Year, Each New Jersey Small Business $2,116, New Study Finds

With tax day approaching, a new study released by NJPIRG found that the average New Jersey taxpayer in 2011 would have to shoulder an extra $668 tax burden to make up for revenue lost from corporations and wealthy individuals shifting income to offshore tax havens. The report, Picking Up The Tab: Average Citizens and Small Businesses Pay the Price for Offshore Tax Havens, additionally found that to cover the cost of the corporate abuse of tax havens in 2011, small businesses in New Jersey would have to foot a bill of over $2,116 on average. 

> Keep Reading
News Release | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Transportation

New Report: Long-Term Drop in How Much People Drive, Youth Desire More Transportation Options

A new report released today by the NJPIRG Law and Policy Center demonstrates that Americans have been driving less since the middle of last decade. The report, Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People are Driving Less and What it Means for Transportation Policy, shows that young people in particular are decreasing the amount they drive and increasing their use of transportation alternatives.

> Keep Reading

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Result | Consumer Protection

KIDS’ SCHOOL LUNCHES NOW SAFER

For years, America’s schoolchildren have been eating beef, chicken and other foods that would have been rejected as substandard even by fast food chains. Thanks in part to our advocacy, the U.S.D.A. has stopped buying such low-quality meat for school lunches.

> Keep Reading
Result | Health Care

Young People Now Covered

This year, the federal health care reforms that NJPIRG worked to win have started to pay off for young people. In the past, teens saw their premiums soar or were denied coverage when they turned 19, even if they’d been insured their whole lives. Now, they can remain on their parents’ plans until age 26. 

> Keep Reading
Report | NJPIRG | Higher Ed

The Cost of College Will Soar if Interest Rates Allowed To Double

More than 7 million students and their families rely on Subsidized Stafford Loans to help pay for college. The loans distributed by the U.S. Department of Education currently hold an interest rate of 3.4 percent. But that rate is set to double if Congress fails to act by July 1, 2012. If that occurs, millions of students will see their interest rates soar to 6.8 percent on the new loans they take in the next year thereby causing a steep rise in their loan burden and effectively increasing the cost of attaining a college degree.

> Keep Reading
Report | NJPIRG | Tax

Picking Up the Tab

Some U.S.-based multinational firms or individuals avoid paying U.S. taxes by transferring their earnings to tax haven countries with minimal or no taxes. These tax haven users benefit from their access to America’s markets, workforce, infrastructure and security; but they pay little or nothing for it—violating the basic fairness of the tax system and forcing other taxpayers to pick up the tab.

> Keep Reading
Report | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Transportation

Transportation and the New Generation

The United States is in the midst of the longest decline in driving since World War II, with the greatest reduction in driving occurring among young people. Transportation and the New Generation explores the reasons why young people are driving less and the implications for transportation policy in the United States. 

> Keep Reading
Report | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Democracy, Tax

Loopholes for Sale

Recent polls show a large majority of Americans, including small business owners, are convinced that profitable corporations are not paying enough in taxes. Citizens for Tax Justice and NJPIRG’s Loopholes for Sale pursues the intersection of corporate campaign contributions to members of Congress and the absence of Congressional action to close corporate tax loopholes and raise additional revenue from corporate taxes. 

> Keep Reading
Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Budget, Tax

Following the Money 2012

New Jersey scores a C+ in the 2010 report on online access to government spending data.

 

> Keep Reading

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Blog Post | Tax

Letter from Congressman Frank Pallone on the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act | Gideon Weissman

Letter from Congressman Frank Pallone to NJPIRG, announcing that he will become a cosponsor of H.R. 2669, the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.  This bill will close a tax loophole that costs the American public more than $100 billion every single year.  For more on NJPIRG's work on fair tax policy, see our tax issue page here: http://njpirg.org/topics/tax

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Democracy

Disempowered Bankers Start Super PAC, Reveal Plans for World Domination

While I am highly skeptical of the sentiment that "Congress is not afraid of bankers", given that banking lobbyists outnumber banking reform advocates 25-1 and that the Chairman of the Senate Financial Services Subcommittee seems to believe that "the banks own the place," the most ridiculous thing about members of the American Bankers Association's announcement of the industry's new Super PAC may be their willingness to reveal its strategy for skirting the non-coordination rules. This speaks volumes about how the industry thinks about its involvement in politics.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Democracy

Making Super PACs Illegal | Gideon Weissman

Polling shows that almost 7 out of 10 voters believe that super PACs, the independent expenditure only committees created in the wake of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision, should be illegal. Unfortunately, due to the Court’s backwards interpretation of the first amendment, we cannot legislate away super PACs today. However, there are some very important steps that every level of government – from your city council to the White House - should take right now to mitigate the impact of super PACs before the 2012 election.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Financial Reform

Today, CFPB to announce overdraft fee investigation, unveil "penalty box" disclosure, possibly end $39 lattes.Ed MierzwinskiGideon Weissman

At a news conference in NYC today, Director Richard Cordray of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will announce a major investigation of bank overdraft fee practices and propose a model "penalty box" disclosure to appear on bank statements. The investigation could end the $39 latte-- $4 bucks for the coffee, $35 for the debit card overdraft fee.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Democracy

Proposal for the State Investment Council of New Jersey | Gideon Weissman

Proposal presented to the State Investment Council of New Jersey on January 26th, 2012: The New Jersey Investment Council should institute a formal policy of supporting shareholder proxy votes that increase disclosure of political contributions.  

> Keep Reading

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Tools & Resources

Priority Action

The CUT Loopholes Act would put an end to the price and profit shifting that allows publicly traded companies to engage in pervasive tax avoidance.

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CONSUMER ALERTS

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Your donation supports NJPIRG's work to stand up for consumers on the issues that matter, especially when powerful interests are blocking progress.

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