Conserving Arizona’s Water Supply
Due to Arizona’s rapidly increasing population, existing water supplies may become insufficient to meet the demands of people, farms, and our environment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona faces a potential water supply crisis by 2025. Yet in over 80 percent of Arizona, developers can build subdivisions with thousands of houses, even if the state declares the region’s water supply to be inadequate. To do nothing will invite future shortages and put unneeded strain on our water systems. Arizona PIRG supports legislation to:
• Require counties and communities outside of Active Management Areas to deny or give only conditional approval to new subdivisions if the water supply is found to be inadequate.
• Protect land buyers by requiring sellers of unsubdivided land to disclose if there is an inadequate supply of water (currently, only first buyers must receive this information).
• Reduce water (and energy) costs in new schools through implementing performance standards and adopting a savings accounting mechanism.
• Develop a revolving loan fund for water- saving projects in existing state facilities and schools to provide a mechanism for achieving water-saving goals and standards.
Preventing Identity Theft
With just your name and Social Security number, a crook can open fraudulent new credit accounts and just start charging away. In about a third of all identity theft cases each year, crooks use stolen information to open new credit accounts, including credit cards, loans, and telephone service. If you become a victim of identity theft and a crook opens new accounts in your name, you will spend on average $1,180 and 60 hours cleaning up your credit record. Until you are able to repair the damage to your credit record, you will probably have a tougher time getting a good interest rate on a car loan, home mortgage or credit card. A damaged credit record can even prevent you from getting a job or apartment. Arizona PIRG supports legislation to:
• Provide all consumers the right to put a security freeze on their credit files for a nominal fee (no charge for identity theft victims).
Protecting Consumers
We have all seen the advertisements promising "Quick Cash Till Payday" or "Quick Financial Fixes” -- just fill out a few simple forms and short-term cash flow problems will be solved. But as the old adage goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Payday lenders hook consumers into a cycle of unmanageable debt as borrowers saddled with triple-digit interest rates take out new loans to pay their old loans. Arizona PIRG supports legislation to:
• Reduce the annual APR to no more than 36%, limit the number of loan roll-overs, and require full disclosure of all terms to consumers.
Advancing Higher Education
For real learning to happen, higher education must include a free exchange of ideas. Freedom and open debate is the core of what makes learning at a college campus possible. This freedom sponsors new ideas, fosters debate, exposes students to frames and theories they have never encountered and challenges core beliefs. Arizona PIRG opposes restricting what students can learn. Instead, we support solving the number one problem that students face – the lack of affordability of the education they need to succeed as tuition levels continue to climb and grant aid fails to keep pace. Today, the average undergraduate borrower leaves school with nearly $20,000 worth of student loan debt. Arizona PIRG supports legislation to:
• Ensure the Arizona Financial Aid Trust (AFAT) is funded by the state at twice the rate at which students fund AFAT, as newly mandated in state statute.
Promoting Energy Efficiency
Click here for a list of important Energy Effiency Legislation.
Energy use is growing almost three times as fast as our population. Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest and cleanest way to get smart about energy use, cut down on the waste and meet Arizona’s growing energy needs. Arizona PIRG supports legislation to:
• Expand goals for state facilities to increase their energy efficiency and reduce their utility costs.
• Provide a financial incentive – a discount on impact fees -- for builders of energy-efficient homes.