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MASSPIRG On Capitol Hill
Along with staff from dozens of other state PIRGs, MASSPIRG Executive Director Janet Domenitz and Consumer Advocate Eric Bourassa convened in Washington, D.C. in February to make the case for our public interest agenda on Capitol Hill. Our federal agenda reflects our state agenda, as we stand up to powerful special interests to promote consumer protection, stop identity theft, fight political corruption, provide safe and affordable prescription drugs, and strengthen voting rights. Over two days, state PIRG staff held meetings with over 300 congressional offices, just as the 110th Congress was getting underway. The meetings focused on two of our top priorities: ethics enforcement and higher education.
Ethics Enforcement
Right now, our ethics system is riddled with partisan bias and internal pressures that prevent fair and impartial enforcement of the rules. Declaring this issue one of her top priorities, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has appointed a commission, chaired by Rep. Michael Capuano, to make recommendations to Congress later this year on how the system can be reformed. During visits on Capitol Hill, MASSPIRG staff talked with several representatives about the merits of an independent commission to enforce the rules and fight political corruption.
Higher Education
We also stood with Sen. Ted Kennedy at a press conference to introduce the Student Aid Rewards (STAR) Act, which would increase student aid by at least $10 billion dollars over the next 10 years at no additional cost to taxpayers.
Coming out of the meetings our hopes are high that the 110th Congress will successfully move the public interest agenda forward.
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