2008 ANNUAL REPORT. Florida Public Interest Research Group & Florida PIRG Education Fund. Money & Politics: Independent Ethics Team (page 2)

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1 Florida Public Interest Research Group & Florida PIRG Education Fund Money & Politics: Independent Ethics Team (page 2) Product Safety: From Recalls To Reforms (pages 5-6) Voting & Democracy: Doing Our Part To Make History (page 8) 2008 ANNUAL REPORT

2 Voting & Democracy: Saving Public Campaign Finance Victory On Campaign Finance Reform Florida PIRG helped limit the influence of special interest groups on the political process in 2008 by protecting Florida s statewide system of public campaign financing. In 2005, the Florida Legislature voted to weaken the public finance law by radically increasing the allowable spending limits. Lawmakers returned this year to argue that the system is now too costly and should be eliminated entirely. Fortunately, Florida PIRG and our allies were there to successfully lead efforts to save public campaign financing. We did this by working to educate the media and legislators and by organizing and preparing concerned citizens to testify at key committee hearings. Florida PIRG supports efforts to return spending limits in the public campaign finance system to pre-2005 levels. Staff Florida PIRG s Brad Ashwell (right) and U.S. PIRG s Nicole Tichon work to reduce the influence of special interest groups at the state and federal levels. OUR ALLIES In an effort to reduce the influence of special interests in elections and protect Florida s public campaign finance system, Florida PIRG worked with allies such as Common Cause, League of Women Voters, AFLCIO and Sierra Club. Florida PIRG

3 Money & Politics: Independent Ethics Office Congress Passes Ethics Legislation In March 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to create an independent office to police ethical scandals under a plan recommended by the federation of state PIRGs. The new Office of Congressional Ethics opened in December after congressional leaders appointed an oversight board and a staff director. Florida PIRG s federal legislative director, Gary Kalman, was invited to brief the office s director and co-chair of the board about how to interpret the new ethics rules and establish enforcement procedures. The new office was created thanks to Florida PIRG-backed ethics legislation that banned gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists and required lobbyists to disclose fundraising for candidates. To make our case for independent enforcement, Kalman pointed to our February 2007 report showing that 23 states, including Florida, already have similar independent panels to enforce ethics rules. Getty/Scott J. Ferrell Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised the most open, accountable Congress in history. Florida PIRG worked to hold congressional leaders to that pledge by supporting legislation that will create the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. Now that Congress has passed legislation creating an independent enforcement commission, we re pushing for lobby reform at the state level. Find out the latest on our Web site, Page 84 2

4 Health Care & Prescription Drugs: Lowering Costs Legislation Will Reveal The Cost Of Care Each year, billions of health care dollars vanish into a black hole of waste, inefficiency and fraud, while the number of uninsured Floridians and the cost of health care premiums rise at an alarming rate. In 2008, Florida PIRG and the Florida Retail Federation built a coalition of business and consumer groups, along with stakeholders in the medical industry, and successfully passed the Consumers Right to Information Act sponsored by Sen. Charlie Dean (Inverness) and Rep. Juan Zapata (Miami). This act will require hospitals to list the cost of common procedures on the Agency for Health Care Administration s Floridahealthfinder.gov Web site. Unlike all other service providers, hospitals have historically been exempt from disclosing their pricing, leading to less Dennis Sabo under license from Shutterstock.com Floridians can now compare price information for common, non-emergency medical procedures at You can also read more about Florida PIRG s new health care advisory council at by clicking on the link in the right hand column. Florida PIRG

5 cost competition and little public knowledge about unfair pricing practices. The bill also requires that hospitals give uninsured patients a good-faith estimate of the costs associated with their procedures. Another Way To Save There is no single solution that will lower the cost of health care. That is why Florida PIRG has worked to develop a comprehensive list of policy goals and state legislative recommendations that will help lower health care costs, including a proposal to significantly raise Florida s cigarette tax. During the 2008 legislative session, Florida PIRG worked with allies to build support for legislation by Sen. Ted Deutch (Palm Beach) and Rep. Jim Waldman (Miami) that would raise the combined federal and state tobacco tax to $2. Moving Forward In 2009 Research has shown that raising the tobacco tax will reduce the number of smokers and the number of tobacco related illnesses, while reducing the costs of treating tobaccorelated diseases costs eventually paid by everyone either through higher insurance premiums or by tax dollars. Florida PIRG will continue working with state legislators on this and an array of other policy goals aimed at lowering the costs of health care, including efforts to ensure that more health care dollars go to actual patient care reducing insurance bureaucracy and health care fraud. Reducing the number of people who smoke will, over time, reduce the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases and thus lower the cost of health care for businesses, individuals, public health care insurance, charity care providers and others. The Center for Disease Control estimates that, in 2004, the health care costs attributed to smoking in Florida totaled $12.8 billion. Page 4

6 Product Safety: From Recalls To Reforms Congress Passes Product Safety Legislation For years, Florida PIRG and our other state PIRGs have been sounding the alarm about problems with the nation s product safety laws and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the agency charged with enforcing these laws. Funding at the agency had reached an all-time low, and even as more products than ever crowded the nation s store shelves, the commission had only half the staff that it did 20 years ago. Our worries were confirmed in 2007, which later became know as the Year of the Recall. High-profile recalls of food, drugs and consumer products had families wondering what else was slipping through the product safety net. Twenty-five million toys were recalled because they were laced with lead or contained small, powerful magnets that could perforate a young child s intestines. Sixty-million pounds of pet food were recalled because they were peppered with rat poison. Staff State Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda at the release of Florida PIRG s 23rd annual toy safety report, which highlighted the need for shoppers to stay vigilant during the holiday season despite the passage of new federal product safety laws. Florida PIRG

7 These failures to protect the public from unsafe products helped bolster our case for reforming the CPSC and build support for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, the largest overhaul in the history of the CPSC. Still, the act faced heavy resistance from ExxonMobil, the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Chemistry Council, along with other powerful interests. PIRG Staff Push For Reform In D.C. The last-minute efforts of two key members of our Washington-based staff, Elizabeth Hitchcock and Ed Mierzwinski, bolstered by the support and actions of our members, other state PIRG members, and other public interest groups, helped push the measure over the top. On Aug. 14, 2008, President Bush signed the new law, which allows the CPSC to remove hazardous products more quickly, hand out fines and penalties to those violating product safety laws, create a public database so that consumers and the media can learn about potentially hazardous products, and set new safety requirements for toys containing potentially hazardous substances. Dangerous Products Are Still On Shelves Unfortunately, the requirements weren t set to go into effect until February 2009, so toy manufacturers were under no requirement to take these products off shelves for the 2008 holiday shopping season. In November, Florida PIRG s Brad Ashwell released our 23rd annual toy safety report, Trouble in Toyland, highlighting the Silly Fish Squirter toy, which had 400 times the amount of the chemical DINP allowed by the new product safety law. DINP has significant reproductive and developmental health effects. Download copies of our toy safety research, and get more information on the latest recalls and action in Congress. Go to our Web site at Page 6

8 Transportation: More & Better Public Transit Getting Florida On Track Without big changes, America s transportation problems will worsen severely as the population increases by 60 million by Light rail, clean bus systems and other public transportation projects must play a greater part in Florida s transportation future. Florida PIRG has built support at the state and municipal levels for public transportation. We asked organizations and local leaders to support projects that expand clean, efficient transportation choices, fix bridges that are in disrepair, and make sure that taxpayer money allocated toward transportation projects is spent more wisely. For too long, we ve thrown money at building more roads and bridges to nowhere rather than making smart investments in public transportation, said Florida PIRG s Brad Ashwell. Barry Bloye The South Florida Tri-Rail is one of several projects that could expand in Florida if Congress increases funds for public transportation. Visit our Web site at to learn more and to see the winning video in our public transportation video contest. Florida PIRG

9 Voting & Democracy: Doing Our Part To Make History Engaging Young Voters on Campus Americans made history on Nov. 4. For the first time in 20 years, young voters share of the electorate surpassed that of voters over the age of 65. Florida PIRG did its part by working to register young voters and ensure fair and open elections. In 2008, volunteers and staff with the student PIRGs New Voters Project worked on 100 campuses in 17 states, including Florida State University, the University of Florida and the University of South Florida. They combined good oldfashioned pavement pounding with high-tech outreach efforts to register 118,000 young voters and turn them out to the polls. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement estimates that 2.2 million more young people voted in 2008 than in the last presidential election. Student PIRGs Students waited in line for hours at this University of South Florida polling location. The student PIRGs helped turn out thousands of first-time voters in November. See more pictures and find out more about the New Voters Project at Page 84

10 Florida PIRG Supporters Financial Information Charts reflect Fiscal Year 2008 financial information for Florida PIRG and the Florida PIRG Education Fund. Foundations Florida Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, a 501(c )(3) organization, conducts research and public education on emerging public interest issues. Contributions to Florida PIRG Education Fund are tax-deductible. To find out more, contact Brad Ashwell at (850) The Florida PIRG Education Fund would like to thank the following supporters of our work: Educational Foundation of America Media & Democracy Coalition FY08 Income FY08 Expenses Citizen Contributions 78% Foundation Grants 11% Students 2% Other 9% Program 75% Fundraising 17% Administration 8% FY08 Program Expenses Breakdown Health Care & Prescription Drugs 32% Public Transportation 17% Toxic-Free Communities 16% Voting & Democracy 12% Media Reform 9% Consumer Protection 7% Other 7% Florida PIRG Members who include Florida PIRG in their wills leave a legacy of activism that will protect consumers and taxpayers, as well as revitalize participation in the democratic process for decades to come. For more information about including Florida PIRG in your estate and major giving plans, call (800) or send an to plannedgiving@floridapirg.org.

11 Dear Florida PIRG member, If you just read the headlines last year mismanagement, short-term thinking, bankruptcies and bailouts you might think that those who stand in the way of progress are on the run. But despite the ongoing trials and tribulations of powerful interests in 2009, the need for an effective counterweight will remain strong. And that s where we come in. Brad Ashwell Advocate We face challenges, but new leadership in Washington, D.C., will provide us the best chance in years to make progress on issues that matter. More Americans are participating in the political process, and most importantly, we have you at our side. As you read about work in 2008, know that none of our accomplishments would have been possible without your ongoing support. Florida Public Interest Research Group 926 E. Park Ave. Tallahassee, FL Address Service Requested 2008 ANNUAL REPORT Florida PIRG Staff (partial list) Phineas Baxandall Senior Analyst for Tax and Budget Policy Amina Fazlullah Staff Attorney Gary Kalman Federal Legislative Director NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID BROCKTON, MA Permit No. 430