Consumer Affairs, Transportation, and Utilities

They may not sound like topics you need to think about, but the fact of the matter is that if you buy anything, go anywhere, and use water or electricity, then this applies to you. It has been a long struggle to protect consumers from business interests that want to cut corners and make a buck at the public’s expense. Even the things we largely take for granted (like food labels) have only been implemented because organizations like the IVI-IPO have been making sure the legislature holds companies accountable. But there is always more work to be done.

Transportation affects how we get to work, get to school, and even get to the grocery store. It also affects how everyone (and everything) else gets there too, so that our store shelves have goods, our workers get to and from their jobs, and how children get to school. A robust public transit system creates jobs, reduces congestion, is better for the environment, and provides alternatives to more expensive forms of travel. This includes a high speed rail system that will be easier, more convenient, and less expensive than air travel.

IVI-IPO supports

• Pro-consumer legislation including unit pricing, open dating and product labeling to disclose pesticide and genetic modification or engineering

• Creation of a State Consumer Advocate

• Regulation of insurance rates

• Federal and state caps on interest rates and banning PayDay loans

• Increased funding for mass transit, including the RTA and AMTRAK

• Public ownership and operation of mass transit

• Development of high-speed rail

• Stronger regulation of utilities, and lifeline, lower rates for low-usage residential consumers