• Require information brokers to enforce tight security practices to keep your data safe;
• Mandate that companies notify you if your information has been compromised; and
• Limit the widespread use and display of Social Security numbers that puts your identity at risk.

• They will be able to raise your rates, as much as and as often as they want. You could face frequent rate hikes because you get sick and file a claim.
• They will take away your right to appeal. Right now, in most states, you have the right to appeal if health insurers refuse to pay your bill, but you won't with AHPs.
• They may not be there to pay your claims. You could get stuck with the bills, because AHPs won't have to keep enough money in the bank to cover your medical expenses.

It must stop - but giant cell phone companies are doing everything they can to continue their unfair practices! State consumer advocates favor eliminating these penalties because they violate the law in their states, and in some states there are lawsuits challenging the legality of termination fees. However, the giant cell phone companies are using their financial muscle to pressure the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) into issuing an order that would override state law and lock customers into these harmful penalties indefinitely.

If the cell phone giants get their way, cell phone users will remain at their mercy because these companies will have little incentive to improve their service and lower their rates. But we can stop them! Let the FCC know that you're fed up with unreasonable cell phone penalties and that you want real freedom to choose the best cell phone service provider.

The FCC is accepting public comments until August 5 about whether these illegitimate penalties should continue. Sign our petition and tell the FCC that you want an end to cell phone cancellation penalties.

Take Action]]> Hundreds of thousands of workers and consumers have died or will die from diseases that result from asbestos exposure.

So how is Congress responding to these victims? By proposing legislation that would shield asbestos manufacturers from lawsuits and deny justice and fair compensation for the innocent victims of asbestos poisoning, depriving them of their day in court.

The trust fund that would be established to compensate victims under the so-called Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act (FAIR Act) is unfair, underfunded, unworkable and unconstitutional. It would make asbestos victims overcome huge new hurdles to prove that they are eligible - and if they are able to do this, they would then be forced to wait years for the compensation they deserve. And in a particularly outrageous provision of this bill, many who were exposed to asbestos in the World Trade Center collapse on 9/11 would be ineligible for compensation.

Take action today: sign this petition to your senators, and urge them to protect innocent victims of asbestos poisoning by OPPOSING the FAIR Act!

Take Action]]> On July 15th, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) succeeded in pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to make a decision on "Plan B", a petition to make the "morning-after" pill available to women over the counter instead of by prescription.

The FDA now has until to September 1st to decide whether to go along with the doctors and scientists who overwhelmingly support giving women over-the-counter access to the pill or capitulate to pressure from the radical right, which strongly opposes the measure. Consequently, the senators have lifted their hold on Lester Crawford's nomination to become the new FDA Commissioner.

On Monday, July 18th, the Senate confirmed Lester Crawford as FDA Commissioner.
More...]]> The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed in June that a cow born and bred in the United States had tested positive for mad cow disease. This was the second confirmed case of mad cow in the United States. The animal was originally suspected of having the disease last November, but the USDA failed to use the best available tests to diagnose the case for seven months.

This is a wake-up call to American consumers. We need swift and decisive action from federal regulators to ensure that the U.S. beef supply remains safe, and recommend that the USDA test all cattle over 20 months of age for mad cow disease.

USDA claims it can measure the extent of the mad cow risk because it tests the highest risk animals – approximately 1% of all cattle slaughtered each year. But USDA's surveillance and testing program is so secretive that the public has no way of knowing whether they are targeting high-risk or low-risk animals, or if their methods are based on sound science.

We must act sooner rather than later. If people eat beef from an animal infected with mad cow disease, they are at risk of contracting the incurable brain-wasting disorder, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The United Kingdom illustrates what can happen when regulators are slow to react; in that country an outbreak of mad cow disease resulted in millions of cattle being destroyed, beef exports being blocked for many years, and 147 human deaths.

Urge the USDA to take immediate action to keep the U.S. food supply safe from mad cow disease.
Take Action]]> This bill could raise your health insurance rates, remove your right to appeal, and weaken critical health protections you depend on in your state.

This bill now goes to the Senate, where we've managed to stop it before. It is critical that your Senator hear from you before voting on AHP legislation.

AHPs are touted as a quick fix for the millions of American families without healthcare. But sadly, this bill is only designed to serve the desires of a few small business and insurance brokers rather than actually reduce the number of uninsured Americans.

If this bill becomes law, AHPs will be free to eliminate your right to appeal a denied claim, deny your access to trusted healthcare specialists like ObGyns and cardiologists, with little potential to expand healthcare coverage. What we do know is that if the Senate does pass this law, AHPs will be able to increase your premiums -- as much and as often as they choose.
More...]]> Wal-Mart currently faces the largest class-action sex discrimination lawsuit in American history.

Plaintiffs in the Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. case have provided evidence that women working in Wal-Mart stores are paid less than their male counterparts for comparable work in every region of the country and in most job categories. What’s worse, data show that the pay gap between men and women gets worse over time, and that women get promoted to management roles at Wal-Mart at a much slower rate than men.

As the world's largest corporation and America's largest private sector employer, Wal-Mart clearly has some explaining to do.

But rather than address the serious issues raised in the sex discrimination lawsuit, the company has aggressively fought the charges, even refusing to implement recommendations of its own diversity task force back in 1998. Tellingly, Wal-Mart disbanded the task force in 1999; and the percentage of women in management positions declined at the company in the two years that followed.

It's time to demand that CEO Lee Scott take concrete and measurable steps to end the systematic discrimination against women at Wal-Mart Stores.

Take Action]]> The Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act (S. 2508) will phase out the routine feeding of medically important antibiotics to healthy livestock and poultry. The poultry and livestock industries have been major culprits in the overuse of antibiotics. The misuse of antibiotics is leading to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are causing increasing numbers of serious, difficult-to-treat illnesses in humans.

Healthy farm animals are routinely fed antibiotics to promote growth and compensate for unsanitary conditions, particularly at crowded factory farms. This "nontherapeutic" use of antibiotics in healthy pigs, poultry, and beef cattle constitutes an estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States.

S. 2508 will phase-out the nontherapeutic use of eight types of antibiotics in animal agriculture that are also used in human medicine, or are so closely related to human use drugs that they trigger cross-resistance. By targeting the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics, the bill properly allows sick animals to receive necessary treatment.

The act also bans the use in poultry of Cipro-like drugs called fluoroquinolones. In October 2000, the FDA proposed to ban poultry fluoroquinolones because their use undercuts the effectiveness of Cipro and related drugs in treating certain forms of severe food poisoning in humans.

The American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the World Health Organization and other leading health organizations are on record opposing both the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in animal agriculture.

Add your voice and press for fast action on this vital legislation. Send a letter now to your Senator and ask him or her to stand for public health and safety by cosponsoring and supporting S. 2508, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act.
Take Action]]>
This action is the first time that FDA has ever withdrawn an agricultural antibiotic from the market because of concerns about antibiotic resistance affecting human health. The ban was proposed in October 2000, but took nearly five years to finalize because of numerous procedural delays created by drug manufacturers.

According to the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition, the FDA has shown that use of Baytril in poultry reduces the effectiveness of Cipro in treating Campylobacter, one of the most common causes of severe bacterial food poisoning. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that resistance to Cipro in Campylobacter in humans has risen to 21 percent as of 2002; when Cipro-like drugs were first approved for use in poultry in 1995, such resistance was negligible.

The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the U.S. - about 25 million pounds annually - are routinely fed to poultry, swine, and beef cattle not to treat illness but rather to promote slightly faster growth and to compensate for overcrowded and unhealthy conditions in concentrated animal feeding operations. More than half of these drugs are identical or similar to antibiotics that are important in human medicine. Use of antibiotic feed additives spurs the development and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria in our food supply and the environment.
More...]]> The Bush administration has broken its promise to make a decision on the morning-after pill by September 1.

American women have waited more than two years for the FDA to decide whether women can purchase the morning-after pill over the counter. The Bush administration explicitly promised the U.S. Senate that the FDA would stop dragging its feet and issue a decision by September 1. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) secured this written promise last month as part of an agreement to lift their hold on the nomination of Lester Crawford to the post of FDA commissioner.

By constantly delaying the decision, Bush's FDA is allowing a small number of anti-birth control zealots to prescribe policy for women's birth control options.

Help us tell the FDA that Americans don't appreciate anti-choice politics getting in the way of sound science and women's access to birth control. Sign our petition to the FDA today!
Take Action]]>
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called Crawford's resignation an opportunity for the agency to rebuild its credibility and move forward on a petition to make emergency contraception available to women over the counter.

For more than two years now, the FDA has repeatedly refused to decide whether women may purchase Plan B, an emergency contraceptive also known as the "morning-after" pill, without a prescription. Most recently, as the Senate considered Crawford’s nomination to serve as commissioner, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt made senators an explicit, written promise that the agency would make a decision on a pending over-the-counter application by September 1. The agency has failed to honor its promise.
More...]]> A recent court decision ruled that only natural ingredients should be allowed in foods labeled as "organic." This ruling reinforces our current organic labeling law by keeping chemically-derived synthetic substances from being used in foods labeled as "organic."

But industry groups are lobbying Congress to change the law so that artificial ingredients can be included in foods labeled "organic"! Specifically, food producers such as the Organic Trade Association, Kraft Foods and others seek to amend the Organic Foods Production Act (passed in 1990) so that synthetic substances can be used in food products labeled as "organic." They claim that consumers do not care about their use in "organic" food and are trying to slip this change into the law without any public input.

U.S. consumers clearly do care! The nonpartisan watchdog group Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports) recently conducted a nationwide survey of 1,200 adults and found that 85% of respondents said they do not expect food labeled as "organic" to contain artificial or chemically-derived ingredients.

Tell Congress that you don't want to buy "organic" food made with artificial ingredients!
Take Action]]>
The lawmakers also noted that the agency's delay will hinder efforts to reduce abortions in the United States, and urged von Eschenbach to approve Plan B "without further delay."
More...]]> Two-thirds of all U.S. households today don't have high-speed Internet access - either because private Internet service providers won't offer it in their area, or because it’s just too expensive.

That's why hundreds of communities have taken matters into their own hands, offering less expensive high-speed wireless Internet access over public networks to connect consumers, schools, libraries and businesses to the Internet at prices they can afford. But these wireless networks use public airwaves that are in short supply.

And now, Congress is getting set to consider legislation that would sell our public airwaves to big corporate interests, and in the process prevent communities from using them to offer low-cost wireless Internet access to their less affluent residents. If passed, the legislation would allow the telecomm industry to retain total control over the market for Internet services.

Urge your legislators to promote low-cost community Internet programs by giving us access to the public airwaves!
Take Action]]> More and more women are being denied their doctor-prescribed birth control pills across the country.

As many as 20 states have laws on the books that put a pharmacist's personal views above a woman's right to safe and legal birth control – making it even easier for pharmacists to deny women access to prescription contraceptives. Birth control is basic health care for the vast majority of American women, and no third party should be able to stop a woman from taking responsibility for her reproductive health!

That's why a bipartisan group of pro-choice members of Congress - Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), and others have introduced a bill to ensure that women can get their birth control prescriptions filled - without intimidation, inconvenience, or delay. Under the Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act (ALPhA), pharmacies would be responsible for filling women's birth control prescriptions even if a pharmacist refuses for personal reasons.

Please send a letter to your federal lawmakers urging them to support this bill. Help us put a stop to the far-right's anti-birth control agenda by taking action today!
Take Action]]>
“The real losers today are America’s organic consumers who do not expect food labeled as "organic" to contain artificial (or synthetic) ingredients. Consumers Union will be mounting a widespread public education campaign to help consumers look for additional, meaningful labels on organic food products, such as ‘no-synthetics used’ or ‘100% grassfed’, so that they get the most value for the premium price they are willing to pay,” says Dr. Urvashi Rangan, Senior Scientist and Policy Analyst at Consumers Union.

The amendment added by the Agricultural Appropriations Conference Committee was aggressively pushed by the Organic Trade Association. The amendment overturned Harvey vs. Johanns, a recent court decision that upheld the organic law by barring the use of synthetic ingredients in the non-organic portion of food labeled “organic.” These are food products that must be made with at least 95% organic material but can have 5% non-organic ingredients.

“While consumers don’t get to vote in the halls of Congress, they do get to vote in the marketplace where the success of “organic” is ultimately dependent on consumer confidence in the integrity of the label. We’ll be doing everything in our power to educate consumers on which organic product lines deserve this trust—and which ones don’t,” adds Rangan.
More...]]> Congress will vote next week on a bill that would gut state food safety and labeling laws, endangering the food you eat. H.R. 4167, the "National Uniformity for Food Act," lowers the bar on food safety by overturning state food safety laws that are not "identical" to federal law. Hundreds of state laws and regulations are at risk, including those governing the safety of milk and shellfish.

Local and state officials are now responsible for 80% of the nation's food safety enforcement. These officials regularly improve training, sanitation and labeling standards to address new food borne diseases and other dangers to our food supply whether natural or man made. H.R. 4167 puts a straitjacket on these front-line workers, who are most familiar with local needs.

Industry-sponsored H.R. 4167 is gaining momentum and must be stopped! Act now! Protect yourself and others from unsafe food by writing your Representative and urging them to vote NO on H.R. 4167.

If the Credit Bureaus succeed in convincing Congress to pass their plan, consumers will have no ability to stop credit fraud before it ever happens.

Take action now to stop this terrible legislation before it becomes law!
Take Action]]> Last month, Congressional offices began to adopt new software that blocks the delivery of email their constituents send from a wide range of nonprofit organization websites.

This new technology--launched just a short while ago and already in use by more than 30 Representatives--requires you to answer a "logic puzzle" question before you can submit a comment. This is designed to limit communications to only those constituents who go directly to the lawmaker's own website to send a message.

What this means: unorganized individuals will be able to talk to their representatives, but people who wish to communicate as part of a movement through nonprofit organizations will be blocked.

The Internet has served to open up democratic communication between millions of Americans and their elected representatives. This new, higher level of participaion should be welcomed, not disabled. It is the responsibility of those we elect to listen when we take the time to communicate about important issues.

Now, a wide array of organizations--including Care2 and Consumer's Union--have come together to oppose this with one voice. Join us to stop Congress from blocking your voice! Ask your Representatives to agree to accept constituent email from organization Websites and to protect your right to communicate with them, whether independently or through bulk email.
Take Action]]>

Big media companies are lobbying the FCC to rewrite our media ownership rules, which currently limit how many local media outlets a given company can control in every town.

Vying for more market control, these conglomerates want to overturn current protections, particularly the rule on "newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership." This rule prevents companies from owning the major daily newspaper and one or two broadcast TV stations in the same town.

If ownership limits are eliminated, ONE media company could potentially own the major daily newspaper, at least EIGHT radio stations and THREE or more television stations in the same town. When big media companies own most of the radio, TV, newspapers in town, the media outlets drift away from serving local needs and air fewer local voices and opinions.

Join Consumer's Union in telling the FCC to stop media consolidation! Be part of the official record, and urge the FCC and Congress to ensure that we have reasonable media rules that ensure diversity, localism and competition.


Take Action]]> Starting September 22nd, tens of thousands of seniors and disabled will find their Medicare prescription drug coverage has temporarily run out--leaving many to go without needed medicines.

Why? Congress created a "donut hole" where people are left with no help after Medicare spends a certain amount on their medicines. Those who fall into this coverage hole will have to pay nearly $3,000 out of their pockets before coverage kicks in again.

But if Congress negotiated lower drug prices, this coverage hole could be eliminated. The Department of Veterans Affairs negotiates drug prices and gets savings of up to 46%, Medicare can do the same!

The deadline is Sept. 29th: Don't let Congress end their legislative session without giving seniors and taxpayers a better deal! Tell Congress to fix Medicare Part D, so the health of seniors and taxpayers--not the profits of drug companies, comes first!
Take Action]]> But Congress is heading in the opposite direction by proposing to do away with many of the state laws and regulations that protect the safety of our food.

On July 27, the U.S. Senate held a hearing on the "Uniformity for Food Act," a bill that will put a strait jacket on states' ability to keep milk, seafood and most other food safe for the consumer. The bill nullifies many state food safety or labeling laws that are not "identical" to federal law, including state laws that deal with problems the federal government doesn't even address.

The Food Uniformity Act would wipe out more than 200 laws in all 50 states, many of which have HIGHER safety standards than those outlined in the Food Uniformity Act!

Fortunately, the bill still isn't law. Although it passed the House in March, we have a good chance of defeating it in the Senate. With ever-growing opposition, (including 21 Senators, 39 state Attorney Generals, the Association of Food and Drug Officials, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, several governors, and a host of consumer, public health, and environmental groups) this bill can be defeated.

Urge your Senators to oppose the Food Uniformity Act!
Take Action]]> Unexpected credit card "gotchas" can cost you thousands! An exhaustive GAO study has just been released, giving the new Congress clear guidance on serious problems faced by Americans in an out-of-control credit card marketplace.

As it stands now, your bank can change your interest rate and terms at any time--for no reason at all. And its retroactive! This means you pay more, even for purchases you've already made.

And while credit cards may lure you in with attractive offers like low interest rates, there are many devils in the details that you'll only find in the finest print of your contract. You mail your bill in late and you'll be hit with a $39 late fee, you sign up for a 7% interest rate, but it goes to more than 30% if you bounce a check, go over the limit, or miss payments.

This holiday season, put an end to your credit card woes. Tell Congress YES on credit card reform!
Take Action]]> Take Action]]> Is your birth control dangerous?

It could be--7.5 million prescriptions for third-generation oral contraceptives were filled last year in the U.S. alone!

Watch Kate's movie:

Chances are, if you're taking one of these drugs, you weren't told very much about it. But these third generation birth control pills contain a synthetic progestin called desogestrel, which doubles the risk of life-threatening blood clots compared to birth control pills that do not contain this ingredient.

So why would doctors choose to prescribe something that's twice as likely to hurt you when there are other, safer alternatives available? And why does the Food and Drug Administration continue to ignore evidence that these drugs hurt women?

Support Public Citizen's petition to the FDA. Demand that the FDA ban third-generation oral contraceptives!
Take Action]]> Do you want to eat animal clones?

If you answered no, you're not alone – most Americans would rather not eat milk and meat from cloned animals. Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering allowing milk and meat from cloned animals and their offspring to be sold as food, without any requirement to label this food as derived from clones – meaning cloned meat and milk could soon be coming to a market near you.

What's the problem with food from clones? Cloning produces unhealthy animals who suffer needlessly. Clones die at a young age, suffer birth defects, and are often treated with antibiotics, possibly contributing to an increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria.

New food technology such as animal cloning should be proven safe for humans and animals before being allowed on the market. Urge the FDA to keep the moratorium on meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring and to require food from clones to be labeled if it is ever allowed on the market.
Take Action]]> Take Action]]>
But this bill is in danger of being weakened. The Senate must hear right now from real people like you who want the safest and most effective medicines, rather than drug company lobbyists who prefer the status quo that has let Vioxx, Paxil and many other dangerous prescription drugs on the market.

Please take a moment to sign this petition to tell your Senators that their vote for drug safety is important to you. And ask them to strengthen, not weaken, S 484, the Enhancing Drug Safety and Innovation Act, to ensure the safety of our medications.

Don't let drug companies put our health at risk. Tell your lawmakers that you want a strong, comprehensive bill that will restore our nation's drug safety system to the gold standard it should be.
Take Action]]> Take Action]]> The time has come for health care reform in California. The legislature and Governor have realized what we all know – that 6.5 million uninsured Californians is unacceptable, health care costs are spiraling out of control, and we need to improve and expand our health care system to cover all Californians.

But we need more than just insurance coverage. Over 7,000 Californians die every year from hospital infections, according to the California Dept. of Health Services - eliminating these infections alone would save an estimated $3 billion per year in California. And a recent report revealed that medication errors harm 150,000 Californians and cost the state over $17 billion every year!

In his health care reform proposal, Governor Schwarzenegger recognized that in order to provide all Californians with top quality health care, we must reduce the rates of medical errors. We need your help to make sure that strong safety improvements to reduce medical errors are included in any final reform bill that reaches the Governor's desk. Send a message to the policy makers who are currently sponsoring legislation by signing this petition today!
Take Action]]>
Most of us have, at best, two choices for high-speed Internet service: our cable and phone companies. Now these companies want to lock you in with hefty termination penalties to prevent you from switching to the other provider even if their service fails to deliver as promised.

Phone companies offer short-term promotional rates for DSL, but often require you to stick with the service for a year or more, even if the promotional price expires during that time. To get out, you might have to pay a fee of up to $200. And some cable companies offer a bundle of broadband, video and phone service, sometimes for a discount, then jack up the price for the remaining services if you cancel one of them during the contract term.

That's not real choice--and it's not real competition. Tell the Federal Communications Commission to put a stop to early termination fees in broadband and give consumers real choice.
Take Action]]>
Over 30,000 Care2 members sent messages to Congress in support of this bill, and together with our partner Consumers Union we sent over 70,000 messages urging a strong drug safety bill. Now we'll keep up the pressure on the House when they consider this measure - stay tuned!

Read more about this victory from Consumers Union.
More...]]> Take Action]]> Take Action]]> E. coli bacteria caused at least three deaths and landed hundreds of people in the hospital. You may have recently thrown out peanut butter due to reported salmonella contamination.

Congress has been cutting back the FDA, the agency responsible for the safety of vegetables and processed food, for over a decade. Now the agency inspects only about 1 percent of food shipments entering the country and visits US food processing facilities only about once every 5 to 10 years.

Our food safety system is fragmented, underfunded and antiquated. We need more inspection, better labeling, and stronger standards. Congress is beginning to consider reforms--lawmakers need to know that you care about ensuring the safety of your food. Send a quick message today!
Take Action]]> Take Action]]> If passed, it would hamstring state and local food safety efforts by wiping out critical authority on meat, poultry and biotechnology.

The sweeping language of Section 123 would prevent states from prohibiting the sale of USDA-inspected products. This provision could prevent local health inspectors at a supermarket from condemning contaminated meat or spoiled poultry! Since 90% of food inspections are done at the state and local level, the impact could be severe.

Section 123 also prohibits states from passing laws that protect animal welfare, such as laws on horse slaughter and sale of horsemeat.

Finally, Section 123 prohibits state and local laws on biotechnology -- such as laws to review whether or not to grow genetically-engineered rice in a state.

After recent problems with Melamine in pet and livestock feed, Listeria in chicken, and E. coli in spinach and ground beef, we should be strengthening our food safety system, not weakening it! Tell your Representative to stand up for food safety and oppose Section 123 in the Farm Bill.
Take Action]]> URGENT: House to vote Thursday on 2007 Farm Bill - act now to support family farms!

Last Wednesday the House Agriculture Committee voted to increase subsidies that mega-farms use to drive family farms off the land and out of business. Not only does this action further subsidize the demise of family farms, it diverts scarce dollars from vital programs that could benefit all of America. This Thursday, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin will bring an amendment to the House floor during debate on the Farm Bill that will reverse this move.

The House Agriculture Committee's 2007 Farm Bill proposal is NOT reform. Representative Ryan's amendment is true reform. It would close the loopholes in farm programs that allow a few extremely wealthy individuals to receive multi-million dollar subsidy checks. Rep. Ryan's amendment would restore integrity to farm programs.

Urge your representative to vote FOR the Paul Ryan amendment that will reverse the payment limitation increase, close the loopholes, and limit farm subsidies to mega-farms. Tell your representative that supporting family farmers and rural America means supporting Rep. Ryan's amendment this Thursday.
Take Action]]> Take Action]]> Take Action]]>
Deceptive loan agents are targeting millions of Americans with high-interest loans they can’t afford to repay. Older Americans are being hit especially hard because they're more likely to:

* have substantial equity in their homes,
* own older homes that need repairs, and
* live on fixed incomes.

When older adults need to refinance to afford major expenses such as medical bills, they can become easy targets for scheming, money-hungry companies.

The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007 fights many abusive lending practices - and is an important step toward eliminating predatory lending packages. But, the mortgage industry is lobbying hard to weaken this bill.

Tell your Representative not to compromise - pass a strong bill that safeguards homeowners against abusive lending practices!
Take Action]]>
This drastic increase in cost has affected university health centers and family-planning clinics around the country, making prescription contraception unaffordable for many college students and lower income women!

College students around the country prompted Congress to introduce a bipartisan solution to restore access to affordable birth control. While the cost of the original legislation adds up every day, this new bill won't cost taxpayers a single penny.

The Prevention Through Affordable Access Act was introduced by Representatives from both parties who agree that access to affordable contraception is the most effective way to prevent unintended pregnancy.

STAND UP FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS AND LOW-INCOME WOMEN ACROSS AMERICA. URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO COSPONSOR THIS ACT TODAY!
Take Action]]> Take Action]]> Take Action]]> Do you think it's unfair when a credit card company suddenly decides to apply a new, higher interest on an old balance? Have you ever received a credit card bill, only to realize that it was due so soon that you had to pay it right away?