U.S. PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP for U.S. PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP
What was lobbied
12 issue areas, each in the filer's own words, with who lobbied on it and where.
Consumer Issues/Safety/Products CSP
Supported efforts to implement new Consumer Product Safety Commission Improvement Act, add resources, regulate dangerous and/or toxic products. Provided comments to hill, signed letters, lobbied on all aspects of legislation and proposed regulations pertaining to reform. Testified in previous quarters. Specific new law is PL 110-314 (HR 4040, Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act). 2) Supported efforts, Medical Device Safety Act (S. 540, HR 1346) to overturn Supreme Court decision in Riegel v. Medtronic limiting state common law remedies against certain medical device manufacturers. 3) Broadly support all other efforts to preserve consumer private rights of action and to oppose preemption of stronger state consumer financial or health and safety laws. 4) Supported Representative Weiners amendment to H.R. 3200, Americas Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, to require transparency by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) who contract with health plans in the national insurance exchange or with the public plan. OTHER ACTIVITIES: Supported various efforts to protect consumers from unfair business or marketplace practices by signing letters, lobbying or commenting on various proposals: 1) Mandatory Arbitration: Support (letters) for HR 1020, the Arbitration Fairness Act to ban mandatory arbitration in consumer laws. 2) Opposed (letter) S. 202 and S. 164, the "Passenger Vehicle Loss Disclosure Act of 2009" 3) Letters limited to opposition to elimination of inequitable conduct defense in the Patent Reform Act (S 515, HR 1260), to encourage generic substitutes for brand name pharmaceuticals. 4) Opposition to the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act, S 738, HR 1744, which would legalize unfair practices of predatory rent to own stores. 5) Supported aspects of Federal Aviation Administration reforms pertaining to Airline Passengers Bill of Rights (HR 915, FAA Reauthorization and S. 213 (Boxer-Snowe) 5) Support strong enforcement of antitrust laws, including opposition to merger of Ticketmaster and LiveNation (testimony in House in previous quarter). 6) Signed letters to White House urging amendments to GM/Chrysler bankruptcy negotiations to reinstate compensation rights of injured victims. 7) Supported variety of efforts, including Equal Employment for All Act (Cohen, House) to amend Fair Credit Reporting Act. 7) Urged support for legislation (not yet filed) to overturn Supreme Court in Leegin, reinstating ban on resale price maintenance. 8) Opposed aspects of Chrysler car company bankruptcy negotiations with administration that limited crash victim rights. PRIVACY: Support efforts to ensure that federal law provides consumers with strong privacy protection, prevents identity theft, and holds companies and government agencies accountable when they lose consumer data. Support includes lobbying, letters, and communications as necessary. Support HR 2221 in part/oppose in part.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| ELIZABETH HITCHCOCK | — |
| GARY KALMAN | — |
| EDMUND M MIERZWINSKI | — |
Banking BAN
Transparency in the Federal Reserve; 1) Reform Credit Card Practices. Provided comments to hill, signed letters, lobbied on all aspects of legislation and proposed regulations pertaining to reform of unfair practices of credit card industry. Bills include S 414, Credit CARD Act; HR 627, Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act, which became law. (As part of HR 627, unsuccessfully supported efforts to make interchange fees fairer and extend bill to include small business owners.) 2) Reform Mortgage Practices and Reform Financial Services Regulation. Provided comments to hill, signed letters, testified, lobbied on all aspects of legislation and proposed regulations pertaining to reform of mortgage and predatory lending. Bills included HR 1728 and HR 1782 on mortgage reform, supporting in part and opposing in part. 3) Provided comments to hill, signed letters, testified, lobbied on all aspects of legislation and proposed regulations pertaining to reform of financial industry by establishment of Financial Product Safety Commission, S. 566 and HR 1705 and renamed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (HR 3126) and other reforms to expand prudential regulation and improve safety net including the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act--HR 4173 and the (unnumbered) Dodd companion bill in the Senate, Restoring American Financial Stabiity Act. 4) Support efforts against unfair bank fees, including support for HR 1456, the Consumer Overdraft Protection Fair Practices Act (testified in House in March 2009). 5) Support reinstatement of federal usury ceilings on financial transactions (S. 500/HR 1608). 6) Support efforts to implement strong consumer and transparency protections in regulations and enforcement of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (HR 1424-Division A, became PL 110-343) and related bills. Supported bills including HR 384 and S 195 to reform the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and other programs established either by EESA or by federal regulators concerning financial reform and bailout funding. These and other similar bills would restore original purposes of bailout funds, increase transparency, limit executive compensation, grant greater authority to oversight agencies, etc. 7) Supported Section 626 of HR 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations) to grant greater authority to FTC and state attorneys general to better protect consumers against financial fraud and impose greater sanctions against wrongdoers. 8) urged administration/DOJ to support state causes of actions/state attorneys general enforcement authority in various state and federal cases including Cuomo vs. Clearinghouse and OCC. Testified in March 2010 before Senate Commerce Committee in support of stronger FTC authority in these areas. 8) In various fora, urged administration, State and USTR to support international financial rules as floor not ceiling of consumer protection; 9) Support S 1595, Deceptive Loan Check Elimination Act.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| AMINA FAZLULLAH | — |
| GARY KALMAN | — |
| EDMUND M MIERZWINSKI | — |
| NICOLE TICHON | Leg Asst (Rep Sisisky), Leg Corresp (Sen Levin) |
Bankruptcy BNK
1) Restructure Mortgages in Bankruptcy: Provided comments to hill, signed letters, lobbied on all aspects of legislation and proposed regulations pertaining to reform. Supported efforts to enact strongest possible provisions to allow bankruptcy judges to restructure first mortgages. Bills included S 61, HR 200 and HR 1106. 2) Support efforts to repeal/amend 2005 bankruptcy law (PL 109-8) restrictions on consumer rights. Testimony in House. 3) Testified at oversight hearing (House Judiciary) on credit cards and bankruptcy.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| GARY KALMAN | — |
| EDMUND M MIERZWINSKI | — |
Chemicals/Chemical Industry CHM
Support Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Act of 2008 (HR 2868), all titles; Drinking Water System Security Act (H.R. 3258), all titles; oppose proposals to extend existing CFATS program for another 4 years (S. 2996) support Kid Safe Chemicals Act (HR 6100; S3040 in 110th ; not yet introduced in 111th) all titles; support measures to ban or restrict use of Bisphenol A (HR 1523; S.593; S753)
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| ELIZABETH HITCHCOCK | — |
| GARY KALMAN | — |
Government Issues GOV
Corporate Governance, Shareholder Protection Act H. R. 4790; Campaign Finance Reform Schumer-Van Hollen TB Introduced Citizens United reaction legislation; Campaign Finance Reform-Public Financing, The Fair Elections Now Act H.R. 1826 and S. 752; Ethics-Protecting the Office of Congressional Ethics
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| LISA GILBERT | — |
| GARY KALMAN | — |
Education EDU
HR 3221 the Student Aid and Fiscal ResponsibilityAct, all student aid provisions. This bill later turned into HR 4872 Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010; Creating additional consumer protections for students borrowing private student loans including private loan certification and counciling, and oversight of private loans in the CFPA within the pending Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| GARY KALMAN | — |
| RICHARD T WILLIAMS | — |
Health Issues HCR
HR 3590 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act AND HR 4872; HR 4489, FEHBP Prescription Drug Integrity, Transparency, and Cost Savings Act.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| GARY KALMAN | — |
| LARRY C MCNEELY | — |
Financial Institutions/Investments/Securities FIN
Financial Reform bill
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| GARY KALMAN | — |
| NICOLE TICHON | Leg Asst (Rep Sisisky), Leg Corresp (Sen Levin) |
Transportation TRA
FY 2011 Transportation Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill; Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2010.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| GARY KALMAN | — |
| JOHN KRIEGER | — |
Telecommunications TEC
Online Privacy; Network Neutrality Rulemaking; Community Radio
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| AMINA FAZLULLAH | — |
| GARY KALMAN | — |
Budget/Appropriations BUD
Closing corporate tax looholes highlighted in the budget
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| GARY KALMAN | — |
| NICOLE TICHON | Leg Asst (Rep Sisisky), Leg Corresp (Sen Levin) |
Environment/Superfund ENV
Support reauthorization of Superfund polluter pays tax.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| ELIZABETH HITCHCOCK | — |
| GARY KALMAN | — |
Shown as published by the Senate Office of Public Records and the House Clerk under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The official filing is the record; open it for the full form.