Page 6 - Consumer Issues News Today

More than 86,000 Wyoming voters have been purged from voter rolls, thanks to a state law requiring county clerks to remove people who did not vote in the most recent election, according to a new analysis by AARP Wyoming. Wyoming is one of 20 states to purge inactive voters, a policy affecting more than one in three Americans. Tom Lacock, associate state director for AARP Wyoming, said it is important for people who sat out the midterm elections to make sure their registration is up-to-date. ....

The New Hampshire House passed a bill to eliminate any exceptions to the states voter ID law and requires documented proof of citizenship in order to register. The bill would eliminate "affidavit voting" for those without ID and give any registered voter the right to challenge a persons voter registration on Election Day. Rep. ...

With the approval of the Virginia General Assembly, a bill reducing prescription drug prices is sitting on Gov. Glenn Youngkins desk. The bill establishes a prescription drug affordability board as an independent body evaluating drug price increases. ...

Lawmakers in Olympia this session moved to add more protections for consumers against predatory loans. Washington state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 6025 unanimously in both chambers, closing a loophole companies were using to evade caps on the amount of interest charged on loans. Sam Leonard, an attorney in Seattle, said tech companies providing financial services such as loans would charter out of state banks, especially in Utah, where lenders can charge unlimited interest rates. ...

Colorado lawmakers want to beef up legislation that bans PFAS, so-called forever chemicals, by 2028. Yahn Olson is an associate attorney with Environmental Litigation Group, which is taking companies that produce PFAS to court on behalf of firefighters in Colorado and other states exposed at military bases. He said PFAS are a major threat to public health, especially when they are allowed to leach into sources of drinking water. ...

Like many states across the West, Nevada faces challenges with supply and demand for housing. One advocate for the disability community describes the pool of affordable and accessible homes in the Silver State as "sad." Mary Evilsizer, executive director of the the Southern Nevada Centers for Independent Living, said some of the biggest challenges in helping disabled folks find housing is ensuring they are able to meet certain criteria and requirements set by landlords, and s...

Community health centers in Missouri and across the nation are getting a boost in funding thanks to Congress passage of a bipartisan spending package. House Resolution 4366 is a package of six Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills that continues funding for several programs and helps avoid a partial government shutdown. Community health centers provide health-care access to 31 million Americans and are vital to people, especially in rural areas. ...

Critical, but stable. Thats how an industry group describes the state of Wisconsins health-care workforce. Amid some brighter spots, shortages loom large in the face of an aging population. ...

Senior and older-adult groups are frustrated by cuts to services in New Yorks budget proposal. This includes cuts to home-care programs and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. It comes a year after Gov. ...

Advocates for people who suffer or have died from COVID-19 in Massachusetts and around the country say theyre alarmed by new federal health recommendations regarding the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced people no longer need to isolate for five days and can return to regular activities, even with mild, improving symptoms and just one day after a fever. Kristin Urquiza, co-founder of the group Marked by COVID, said the CDC has abandoned its mission to p...