Keeping Our Families Safe From Dangerous Products
Manufacturers that violate product safety laws will face stiff fines and penalties, and hazardous products will be removed from store shelves more quickly, under a landmark law we championed in 2008.

Lowering The Cost Of Energy In Rhode Island
Rhode Island will reduce natural gas consumption and save more than $300 million on electricity and home heating bills, thanks to RIPIRG’s work on energy conservation and efficiency in the General Assembly.

Paving The Way For 21st Century Transportation
Passenger rail travel will improve, and America will begin investing in a new generation of high-speed rail thanks to a RIPIRG-backed law that authorizes $13 billion in spending over the next five years, a small step in a shift toward public transit and away from wasteful new highway projects.

Locking Out Identity Thieves
RIPIRG-backed identity theft prevention measures have put safeguards in the hands of consumers, while addressing systemic failures by retailers that have left as many as 12,500 Rhode Islanders vulnerable to identity theft each year.

Holding Drugmakers Accountable For Safety
In 2007, the president signed a RIPIRG-backed law to rein in the makers of drugs like Vioxx, Paxil and Avandia, all of which had dangerous and deadly side effects. The law reforms the Food and Drug Administration’s drug safety review process and holds drugmakers more accountable for the safety of consumers.

Holding The Health Insurance Industry Accountable
In the wake of a major political health insurance scandal, RIPIRG’s advocacy helped create the Health Insurance Commissioner position in 2004 to oversee Rhode Island’s health insurers.

Ensuring A Smoke-Free Workplace
Workers in restaurants, bars and other establishments are no longer being exposed to secondhand smoke on the job, thanks to the work of a coalition including RIPIRG. In 2004, we helped pass a law banning smoking in workplaces.

Holding Elected Officials To Higher Ethical Standards
A new, independent office will police ethical scandals in Congress, under a plan endorsed by RIPIRG. Our staff helped make the case for the new Office of Congressional Ethics.

Standing Up For Taxpayers And Homeowners
When Congress rushed to pass the $700 billion bailout for Wall Street banks, our staff warned that the hastily conceived law lacked basic protections for taxpayers and assistance to homeowners. Later we worked to hold bankers and regulators accountable for fully disclosing how they spent the tax dollars they received.