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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Consumers Count: Five years of the CFPB standing up for consumers | Kathryn Lee

This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns five years old! As part of our efforts to tell more people about the CFPB, we're cross-posting this video blog and comments written by Zixta Q. Martinez of the CFPB (check out the infographic at the end, too!).

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Blog Post | Transportation

Good Things Come to Those On Bikes | Sean Doyle

Pull the bike out of the closet, pump up those tires, and dust off the helmet because it's Bike to Work Week!

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Blog Post | Transportation

Don’t Believe the Hype – Millennials’ Transportation Habits Are Changing | Sean Doyle

Despite news stories claiming that Millennials are buying up cars at record rates, the reality is quite different. After adjusting previous studies to account for differences in the size of the generations measured, on a per-capita basis, Millennials are 29 percent less likely than members of Generation X to own a car.

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Report | WashPIRG Foundation | Budget

Following the Money

This seventh annual evaluation of state transparency websites finds that states continue to make progress toward comprehensive, one-stop, one-click transparency and accountability for state government spending. In 2015, several states launched new and improved websites to better open the books on public spending, or have adopted new practices to further expand citizens’ access to critical spending information. Several states, however, continue to lag behind. Washington received a B+ when it comes to government spending transparency.

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News Release | WashPIRG Foundation | Budget

NEW REPORT: Washington Receives "B+" in Annual Report on Transparency of Government Spending

Washington received a B+ when it comes to government spending transparency, according to “Following the Money 2016: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” the seventh annual report of its kind by Washington Public Interest Research Group Foundation.

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News Release | WashPIRG Foundation

New Study Finds Technology Enabling Americans to Drive Less

In a first-of-its-kind study, WashPIRG compiled nation-wide evidence on transportation apps and vehicle sharing programs, like OneBusAway and Car2Go, and found that these advanced new tools have made it easier for Americans to drive less. Real-time apps and on-board wi-fi for public transit, as well as carsharing, bikesharing and ridesharing have spread rapidly in recent years. The report examines new evidence on how these practices are changing travel behavior.

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News Release | WashPIRG Foundation | Consumer Protection

New Report Identifies Banks Consumers Complain About Most

Thousands of Americans are using the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s public Consumer Complaints Database to settle disputes with their banks, according to a new report from the WashPIRG Foundation. The report highlights banks that generated the most complaints through their various banking services in each state.

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News Release | WASHPIRG Foundation | Transportation

New Report Shows Washingtonians Are Driving Less

Washingtonians have cut their per-person driving miles by 5.5 percent since 2005, while the nation’s long term driving boom appears to have ended, according to a new report from the WashPIRG Foundation.

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News Release | WashPIRG Foundation | Tax

Washington Receives a “B-” in Annual Report on Transparency of Government Spending

Washington received a “B-” when it comes to government spending transparency, according to “Following the Money 2013: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” the fourth annual report of its kind by the WashPIRG Education Fund.  

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News Release | WashPIRG Foundation | Tax

Offshore Tax Dodging Blows a $40 Billion Hole in State Budgets, $150 Billion Nationally

WashPIRG released a new study revealing the real cost of offshore tax loopholes. This tax avoidance costs the federal government $150 billion in tax revenue every year. States lost $39.8 billion due to offshore tax dodging in 2012.  Many of America’s wealthiest individuals and largest corporations use tax loopholes to shift profits made in America to offshore tax havens, where they pay little to no taxes.

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    Our democracy is based on the principle of one person, one vote, but our research shows the increasing dominance of big money in our elections.
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