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News Release | Maryland PIRG Foundation | Consumer Tips

35th annual Trouble in Toyland report uncovers mislabeled and dangerous toys

BALTIMORE --  Maryland PIRG Foundation’s Trouble in Toyland report has helped identify dangerous toys for 35 years. But 2020 is unique, and as Americans have worked, learned and played from home to protect themselves from COVID-19, children have become more susceptible to certain toy-related hazards. 

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News Release | Maryland PIRG Foundation | Democracy

Statewide Voting Rights Coalition Urges Patience as Ballots are Counted

Maryland -- The state-wide coalition Everyone Votes Maryland has been working tirelessly throughout the 2020 congressional 7th District Special Election, Primary, and now General Election to ensure that every Marylander knows their rights when it comes to voting and ensuring a fair and safe election process.

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Report | Maryland PIRG Foundation and Frontier Group | COVID-19

NURSING HOME SAFETY DURING COVID: PPE SHORTAGES

Thousands of nursing homes nationwide are dealing with horrific shortages of masks, gowns and other items they need to protect residents, workers and the broader community from COVID-19. And seven months into this pandemic, the shortages have actually become much worse.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Tips, COVID-19

Planning to vote in person? Consider taking a bag of supplies to help you survive long lines | Teresa Murray

With Election Day coming up, here's a tip guide for what to do before you go to vote, what to take with you and how to stay safe while you’re at your polling place.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Tips, COVID-19

Why can I still buy toxic hand sanitizer? | Teresa Murray

The FDA doesn’t have the authority to stop retailers from selling dangerous over-the-counter products such as toxic hand sanitizer. Our safety system is broken, and we need to fix it. 

> Keep Reading

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News Release | Maryland PIRG Foundation | Consumer Tips

35th annual Trouble in Toyland report uncovers mislabeled and dangerous toys

BALTIMORE --  Maryland PIRG Foundation’s Trouble in Toyland report has helped identify dangerous toys for 35 years. But 2020 is unique, and as Americans have worked, learned and played from home to protect themselves from COVID-19, children have become more susceptible to certain toy-related hazards. 

> Keep Reading
News Release | Maryland PIRG Foundation | Democracy

Statewide Voting Rights Coalition Urges Patience as Ballots are Counted

Maryland -- The state-wide coalition Everyone Votes Maryland has been working tirelessly throughout the 2020 congressional 7th District Special Election, Primary, and now General Election to ensure that every Marylander knows their rights when it comes to voting and ensuring a fair and safe election process.

> Keep Reading
News Release | US PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

FTC settles first case against VoIP provider for allowing illegal robocalls

This FTC settlement must be a wake-up call to phone service providers so they do more to protect consumers. If not, the FTC must be vigilant in going after companies that enable the immoral practice of preying on consumers. And the FCC should require providers to block spoofed calls that we all know are scams.

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News Release | Maryland PIRG Foundation, Mind the Store, Toxic-Free Future | Consumer Tips

New study indicates toxic chemicals used in take-out food packaging from popular chains

Packaged in Pollution: Are food chains using PFAS in packaging?, analyzes packaging from six national food chains, including Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s as well as health-minded food chains Cava, Freshii, and Sweetgreen, and includes packaging collected in Maryland. 

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News Release | Maryland PIRG | COVID-19

New data: Maryland receives "making progress" marks for COVID-19 containment measures as last week

Baltimore -- With the number of COVID-19 cases continuing to rise nationally,  Maryland PIRG released a new fact sheet today, showing Maryland is “making progress” when it comes to meeting COVID-19 containment criteria. This is the second week Maryland PIRG has reporter n in-state coronavirus efforts. Last week, Maryland received a “trending better” grade. 

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Result | Public Health

Victory: Macy's commits to phase out toxic flame retardents

We did it: Macy's announced it will stop selling furniture that contains toxic flame retardants.

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Result | Public Health

Victory: Subway Announces Plan to Go Antibiotic Free

We're ecstatic that Subway will be living up to the healthy image they've created. They have more restaurants in the U.S. than any other chain, and their announcement will put major market pressure on the meat producers to stop overusing antibiotics.

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Result | Safe Energy

Commission Renews and Expands Commitment to EmPOWER Maryland

The Maryland Public Service Commission has ordered a series of measures that will expand and refocus—and ultimately improve—programs designed to meet the goals of the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act of 2008.

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Report | Maryland PIRG Foundation and Frontier Group | COVID-19

NURSING HOME SAFETY DURING COVID: PPE SHORTAGES

Thousands of nursing homes nationwide are dealing with horrific shortages of masks, gowns and other items they need to protect residents, workers and the broader community from COVID-19. And seven months into this pandemic, the shortages have actually become much worse.

> Keep Reading
Report | Maryland PIRG Foundation and U.S. PIRG Education Fund | COVID-19, Consumer Protection, Solid Waste

HOSPITAL REPAIR RESTRICTIONS

COVID-19 is putting incredible stress on the U.S. medical system, including the work of hospital biomedical repair technicians, known as biomeds or BMETs. These technicians are essential; hospitals need working equipment to diagnose and treat patients. But in some cases, manufacturers restrict access to what biomeds need.

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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | COVID-19

Putting Consumers First

U.S. PIRG Education Fund, the Student Borrower Protection Center and Consumer Action have released a report recommending that  CFPB should use the full extent of its authority to take immediate action to strengthen its consumer complaint tool, hold companies accountable for providing complete and timely responses to consumers, and leverage consumer complaints related to the pandemic to support oversight and regulatory action to protect consumers.

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Report | Maryland PIRG Foundation | Consumer Tips, Solid Waste

The Fix Is In

We rely on our phones. When they break, we need our phones fixed — fast. Unfortunately, there are numerous barriers to fixing our smartphones. Manufacturers don’t offer certain repairs and can push consumers into purchasing upgrades instead. Our survey of 302 independent repair technicians shows that independent shops offer more options for repair, but are struggling to access parts, service information and repair software which is necessary to fix phones — which manufacturers won’t let these independent shops have.

> Keep Reading
Report | Maryland PIRG Foundation | Democracy

Big Money in Maryland Elections

In Maryland’s gubernatorial elections, the people and companies that donate to campaigns are not reflective of the Marylanders who vote in these elections. On average, donors make large contributions that most Marylanders can’t afford, only a small percentage of the population is making contributions, and the majority of money comes from donors who aren’t eligible to vote in these elections. 

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Blog Post | Consumer Tips, COVID-19

Planning to vote in person? Consider taking a bag of supplies to help you survive long lines | Teresa Murray

With Election Day coming up, here's a tip guide for what to do before you go to vote, what to take with you and how to stay safe while you’re at your polling place.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Tips, COVID-19

Why can I still buy toxic hand sanitizer? | Teresa Murray

The FDA doesn’t have the authority to stop retailers from selling dangerous over-the-counter products such as toxic hand sanitizer. Our safety system is broken, and we need to fix it. 

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Tips, COVID-19

Tenant protections from eviction and utility cutoffs vary by state | Jacob van Cleef

The CDC implemented the eviction freeze on Sept. 4 to reduce the number of people on the streets who could get infected with and spread the COVID-19 virus. Landlords and other groups filed lawsuits attempting to strike down the halt on evictions, so the future of the policy remains uncertain.

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Blog Post | Consumer Tips, COVID-19, Consumer Protection

Choosing the best way to pay: Cash, credit cards, debit cards, P2P, checks or online payments | Teresa Murray

Here’s a guide to your rights depending on how you pay

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Tips, COVID-19, Transportation

Riding a bus, subway or rideshare? Here’s a look at safety measures adopted to combat COVID-19 | Jacob van Cleef

From mask mandates to capacity limits, the largest public transit systems and ride share companies have new procedures

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News Release | Maryland PIRG Foundation

35th annual Trouble in Toyland report uncovers mislabeled and dangerous toys

BALTIMORE --  Maryland PIRG Foundation’s Trouble in Toyland report has helped identify dangerous toys for 35 years. But 2020 is unique, and as Americans have worked, learned and played from home to protect themselves from COVID-19, children have become more susceptible to certain toy-related hazards. 

News Release | Maryland PIRG Foundation

Statewide Voting Rights Coalition Urges Patience as Ballots are Counted

Maryland -- The state-wide coalition Everyone Votes Maryland has been working tirelessly throughout the 2020 congressional 7th District Special Election, Primary, and now General Election to ensure that every Marylander knows their rights when it comes to voting and ensuring a fair and safe election process.

Report | Maryland PIRG Foundation and Frontier Group

NURSING HOME SAFETY DURING COVID: PPE SHORTAGES

Thousands of nursing homes nationwide are dealing with horrific shortages of masks, gowns and other items they need to protect residents, workers and the broader community from COVID-19. And seven months into this pandemic, the shortages have actually become much worse.

Blog Post

Planning to vote in person? Consider taking a bag of supplies to help you survive long lines

With Election Day coming up, here's a tip guide for what to do before you go to vote, what to take with you and how to stay safe while you’re at your polling place.

Blog Post

Why can I still buy toxic hand sanitizer?

The FDA doesn’t have the authority to stop retailers from selling dangerous over-the-counter products such as toxic hand sanitizer. Our safety system is broken, and we need to fix it. 

  • COVID-19 CONSUMER TIPS
    Avoid online scams, protect your credit and more. We have assembled a set of consumer tips and guides, and will add more in the days to come.
    OUR TIPS
  • THE FIX IS IN
    Our survey shows that independent shops are struggling to access parts, service information and repair software which is necessary to fix phones — which manufacturers won’t let these independent shops have.
    OUR REPORT
  • FOOD RECALL FAILURE
    Will your supermarket warn you about hazardous food? Our survey grades 26 of the largest grocery stores in the country to determine the efficacy of their policies and practices notifying consumers about food recalls.
    OUR REPORT
  • CHAIN REACTION V
    The overuse of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can cause life-threatening infections in people. Our report ranks restaurant chains on their policies relating to antibiotic use in their beef supply chains.
    SEE THE GRADES

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