 |
| Oregon Student PIRG's Doug Babb and Henry Richmond speak to the media at a 1973 press conference. OSPIRG's research led to the enactment of precedent-setting policies to protect farmland and curtail sprawl. |
Safe Sleepwear
1973: Colorado PIRG, North Carolina PIRG and others release an exposé resulting in strengthening of federal Consumer Product Safety Commission flammability standards for children's sleepwear.
Affordable Dental Care
1973: Vermont PIRG wins the Tooth Fairy Law, creating the nation's first public dental health program for children. Four years later, the dental costs of those enrolled in the program had declined as routine care replaced costly emergency treatment.
 |
| Residents of Brooklyn, N.Y., and the Bronx, N.Y., demand that local banks reinvest in their communities after NYPIRG research in 1976 uncovered systematic "redlining" of minority and low-income neighborhoods there. |
Generic Prescription Drugs
1970s: Consumers can buy prescription drugs without expensive name-brand markups thanks to generic drug laws won by PIRGs in Michigan (1974), Alaska (1975), Massachusetts (1976), New York (1977) and Vermont (1978).
 |
| MASSPIRG Executive Director Doug Phelps rallies delegates to the 1980 Democratic National Convention behind a safe energy platform. The Democratic Party adopted a weakened version of the safe energy proposal. |
Small Claims Court
1976: Missouri PIRG helps establish the state's Small Claims Court system, allowing Missouri residents to take claims of $500 or less to court without an attorney.
Wilderness Protection
1978: After winning protection of Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area as wilderness five years earlier, Minnesota PIRG helps wins congressional protection for the area.
Solar Energy
1978-79: NJPIRG and VPIRG win tax incentives for solar power in New Jersey and Vermont in 1978. MASSPIRG wins a similar policy for Massachusetts in 1979.