Cleaning Up Illinois’ Culture Of Corruption
In 2008, Illinois PIRG helped to pass two ethics bills—over former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s vetoes—that will help to curb corruption in our state government. The governor’s indictment occurred as he was racing to secure last-minute campaign contributions before the new ethics laws went into effect on Jan. 1, 2009.

Building 21st Century Transit For Illinois
In 2008, Illinois PIRG helped to prevent threatened cuts to Illinois’ public transportation by building support for a critical transit bill. The transit bill will provide a long-term funding solution for Northern Illinois’ transit needs and provide more accountability for transportation spending.

Making Illinois’ Bars And Restaurants Smoke Free
Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in America. In 2007, Illinois PIRG helped to pass a law to ban smoking in all Illinois workplaces—including bars and restaurants—to protect employees’ and patrons’ health.

Keeping Our Families Safe From Dangerous Products
After a disturbing series of recalls of lead-tainted children’s products, Illinois PIRG and our allies took action. Now, corporations 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 championed by Illinois PIRG in 2008.

Making Education More Affordable
More than 100,000 student borrowers will save more than $4,000 each after Illinois PIRG and our coalition partners helped convince the U.S. House of Representatives to cut interest rates on federally subsidized student loans in half.

Stopping Cable And Telephone Company Price Gouging
In 2007, Illinois PIRG staff helped to fend off an industry proposal to eliminate consumer protections for cable service. We worked with local groups and conducted research to expose what these cable and telephone companies were trying to do. As a result, Illinois now has a new law that will prevent price gouging.

Holding Corporations Accountable
In 2004, state decision-makers approved the Illinois PIRG-backed Accounting Act, which requires Certified Public Accountants to register every three years and requires Illinois’ accounting oversight agency to publicly report on its investigation and discipline of accountants and firms.

Protecting Illinoisans From Identity Theft
In 2007, an Illinois PIRG-backed policy took effect, allowing consumers to place a “security freeze” on their credit reports—locking out potential identity thieves.