Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group Citizen agenda: An update for members of MASSPIRG Summer 2020 • Vol. 39, No. 2 • More at https://masspirg.org HEALTHY LIVING PIRG assembled a COVID-19 response team of policy experts, advocates, organizers and researchers. Credits: (clockwise from top left) WSYX News ABC 6, U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Pedro Tenorio, WFXT, Staff, Mongkolchon Akesin via Shutterstock, WLEX-TV, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, Screenshot of Amazon.com, Scripps National News. Responding to the COVID-19 crisis The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Americans were not enough COVID-19 tests available for to confront harsh realities—from concern for all who would need them. The inability to ade- the health and safety of themselves and their quately test for the virus left health professionals families, to the financial struggles brought on by and lawmakers with an incomplete picture as to mass layoffs and a dampened economy. the scope of the problem. In response to the crisis, MASSPIRG and U.S. MASSPIRG, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and our PIRG Education Fund, the research and policy national network called on Adm. Brett Giroir, the arm of our national network, have continued head of the government’s coronavirus testing re- to work—from a safe social distance—for a sponse, to implement a national plan for scaling healthier, safer world, calling for measures to up our testing capacity as quickly as possible. improve our country’s ability to discover and care for COVID-19 cases, to protect consumers MASSPIRG and U.S. PIRG Education Fund sup- MEMBER from price gouging in the marketplace, and to ported plans crafted by public health experts— RESOURCES increase production and distribution of vital including former Food and Drug Administration Read the latest news and sign up for email medical supplies as rapidly as possible. Commissioners David Kessler, M.D. and Scott alerts on our public Gottlieb, M.D.—for federal leadership to build health and consumer this testing capacity. The plans included expand- campaigns at: Ramping up our testing capacity https://masspirg.org ing labs and speeding up testing time, national When the novel coronavirus made landfall in the coordination on large-scale purchasing of testing United States, health experts warned that there supplies, and building systems to collect data PAGE 1 SUMMER 2020 PAGE ONE CONTINUED and identify cases as fast as possible to prevent called on President Trump to fully utilize the further spread of the virus. Defense Production Act (DPA) and to coordinate distribution of critical medical supplies directly Preventing price gouging in a pandemic to affected areas. As people rushed to buy hand sanitizer and oth- Across the country, hospitals have struggled to er critical supplies early on in the outbreak, U.S. get the supplies they need to protect frontline PIRG Education Fund released groundbreaking workers and care for COVID-19 patients. Our national network recruited 116 mayors and county executives to sign onto a letter urging the Trump administration to centrally coordi- nate procurement and distribution of essential supplies to everyone who needs them. Joining Screenshot of Amazon.com the call were 12 mayors from Massachusetts, including Paul Brodeur of Melrose, Michael Cahill of Beverly, Gary Christenson of Malden, Carlo DeMaria of Everett, Kim Driscoll of Sa- lem, Tom McGee of Lynn, Jon Mitchell of New Bedford, Alex Morse of Holyoke, Dan Rivera of Lawrence, Domenic Sarno of Springfield, Sum- bul Siddiqui of Cambridge and Yvonne Spicer of Framingham. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our In March, a research that revealed massive price gouging way of life. As we confront these challenges, four-pack of 28 on Amazon. The report found that, in February, MASSPIRG and U.S. PIRG Education Fund are ounce Purell hand sanitizer most surveyed hand sanitizers and face masks committed to championing the policies that bottles was found saw price surges of more than 50 percent above will best protect Americans’ health, safety and selling for $159 on their 90-day averages. Even 1 in 6 products sold well-being in this time of crisis. n Amazon. directly by Amazon—not third-party vendors— saw similar spikes. More than 375,000 people have since joined MASSPIRG and our national network in calling MASSPIRG’s Mission on Amazon and other major online marketplaces NEWS BRIEFS When consumers are to implement safeguards that prevent prices cheated or the voices of ordinary citizens are from significantly increasing during states of drowned out by special emergency. GET THE LEAD OUT interest lobbyists, MASSPIRG speaks up and takes action. We Even top officials and lawmakers have joined Massachusetts moves closer toward safe uncover threats to public us in taking action to ensure consumers aren’t drinking water in schools health and well-being taken advantage of during this time of crisis. and fight to end them, using the time-tested Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey When students return to school, our state could tools of investigative and 32 other attorneys general from across the be on its way toward safer drinking water if research, media exposés, country signed onto a U.S. PIRG Education Fund lawmakers approve a MASSPIRG-backed bill. grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation. letter calling on Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Face- MASSPIRG’s mission is to book and Craigslist to proactively put a stop to On March 9, a key state legislative committee deliver persistent, results- price gouging on their platforms. In April, 346 unanimously passed a bill to establish a health- oriented public interest activism that protects state legislators from 45 states signed a similar based lead level standard for schools and child consumers, encourages a letter sent by U.S. PIRG Education Fund to those care centers, and to take other steps to minimize fair, sustainable economy, same companies. lead in school drinking water. A significant and fosters responsive, democratic government. win for our Get the Lead Out campaign, the Confronting our medical supply shortage bill addresses many of the concerns raised in a March 2019 MASSPIRG Education Fund report PAGE 2 In response to ventilator supply shortages, warning that many Massachusetts schools had SUMMER 2020 MASSPIRG and our national network have unsafe levels of lead in their drinking water. NEWS BRIEFS USDA viaUSDA Flickr, 2.0 BY CC “Time and time again, Massachusetts has been a leader in protecting our children’s health and safety,” said Deirdre Cummings, legislative director of MASSPIRG. “Massachusetts should take this opportunity and put ourselves ahead of the curve in getting the lead out of drinking water in our schools and day care centers.” As of this writing, the bill awaits approval by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. n TRANSFORM TRANSPORTATION Massachusetts Senate passes bill to switch MBTA to electric buses calls for meat and poultry have rocketed up 65 U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Today, nearly all of the Massachusetts Bay percent since 2013, finds the “How Safe is Our “How Safe Is Our Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) buses run Food?” report. Food?” report on fossil fuels, contributing to global warming found that safety and air pollution. That could soon change. Upticks in recalls don’t necessarily mean our recalls from the U.S. Food and Drug food has gotten less safe. In fact, they could Administration for On Jan. 30, the Massachusetts Senate passed a mean our food safety systems have gotten better meat and poultry MASSPIRG-backed bill that would require the at identifying dangerous foods. But, says PIRG have increased 65 MBTA to fully transition to electric buses by Consumer Watchdog Grace Brombach, that percent since 2013. 2040. The effect would be staggering: 55,000 point is moot: Contaminations should be caught tons of greenhouse gases would no longer be before recalls become necessary. emitted each year, the equivalent of taking more than 10,600 cars off the road. The bill would also “Americans should be confident that their food permanently authorize the commonwealth’s is safe and not contaminated by dangerous existing electric vehicle tax credit. bacteria like E. coli and salmonella,” said Grace. “For too long, our communities have been U.S. PIRG Education Fund is advocating for subjected to toxic pollution from cars, trucks improvements in our food safety systems— and buses that run on fossil fuels,” said Matt including increased testing, monitoring and Casale, director of MASSPIRG’s Transform traceability for pathogens. n Transportation campaign. “The sooner that all Massachusetts residents can reap the benefits of electric buses, the better it will be for our kids, our communities and our planet.” As of this writing, the bill sits with the Massa- Domain Public chusetts House of Representatives. n BE AN ADVOCATE FOR FOOD SAFETY MASSACHUSETTS’ FUTURE How safe is our food? Produce recalls are down, but meat and poultry are sky-high Support our work in the public interest by including a gift to MASSPIRG or MASSPIRG Education Fund in your will, Did our food get safer in 2019? A U.S. PIRG Ed- trust or retirement accounts. ucation Fund report finds mixed results. For more information call 1-800-841-7299 or send an email While safety recalls for produce and processed to: [email protected] food from the U.S. Food and Drug Administra- tion have declined 34 percent since 2016—when new safety standards were implemented—re- PAGE 3 SUMMER 2020 MASSPIRG 294 Washington St., Ste. 500 Boston, MA 02108 (617) 292-4800 TOP STORY: Responding to the COVID-19 crisis The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Americans to confront harsh realities. In response to the crisis, MASSPIRG has continued to work for a healthier, safer world. CITIZEN AGENDA • VOLUME 39, NO.