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Fighting Predatory Mortgage Lending
TexPIRG has taken a leading role in the fight against predatory mortgage lending, which has robbed hard-working Texans of millions of dollars over the years and contributed to recent economic instability.
TexPIRG endorsed House Bill 3762, by Rep. Norma Chavez (El Paso), which sought to ensure that mortgage loan brokers have a fiduciary obligation to their clients. TexPIRG also supported House Bill 2274, by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (Austin) and Rep. Rafael Anchia (Dallas), which would have required that homeowners be given a credit counseling session by a third party non-profit organization before entering into a high-risk mortgage loan.
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Victory On Ethics Reform: Lobbyist Gifts Banned
In January, in response to pressure from the U.S. PIRG, the federation of state PIRGs, and other groups, Congress enacted sweeping lobby reforms, including restrictions on congressional gifts from lobbyists and lobbyist-paid vacations.
Building on the momentum of this promising start, TexPIRG representatives traveled to Washington in February for a series of meetings with the Texas congressional delegation, calling for even stronger ethics reform legislation. In particular, TexPIRG is calling for the creation of an Office of Public Accountability, which would have the power to independently initiate ethics investigations.
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TexPIRG Opposes Trans-Texas Corridor
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MORE TRANSIT, NOT PRIVATE HIGHWAYS —TexPIRG is opposing a plan to build giant private highways across Texas, a plan that could cost more than $180 billion. TexPIRG advocates expanding our rail system to improve traffic problems. |
TexPIRG joined the chorus of opposition to the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC), a system of gargantuan highways planned to crisscross the state in a few decades. The project, with an estimated cost of more than $180 billion, is considered by many to be the most misguided public works project in the history of the state.
TexPIRG has serious concerns about the environmental impact of the project, as well as the misuse of eminent domain, which in this case will be used by the state to seize private property and turn it over to private entities. TexPIRG is also continuing to advocate for the fair administration of toll roads. The final TTC bill, recently signed by Gov. Perry, gives local transportation authorities a fair chance at controlling future toll road projects to the TTC, establishes a moratorium on some sections of the project for further study, and also institutes a public review process for all parts of the corridors.
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Identity Theft Addressed By Texas Legislature
As he has done in previous sessions of the Legislature, Sen. Rodney Ellis (Houston) took a leading role in the campaign to protect consumers from identity theft. He filed a number of critical identity theft bills, perhaps the most important being Senate Bill 222. TexPIRG was proud to testify on behalf of this bill.
Current state law on identity theft allows consumers to place a security freeze on their credit report only after they have been the victim of identity theft, which is a little like putting on your seatbelt right after getting into a car crash.
In the 2007 legislative session, many representatives and state senators pushed legislation that would allow consumers to freeze their credit report before being the victim of identity theft and also rationalize the prices charged for freezing and unfreezing these records. TexPIRG fully supported this successful campaign, one of our biggest victories of the session.
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