Today the Civil Practice subcomittee of the House split its vote down the middle on the "Kill Old People Cheap" bill. This has effectively killed the bill this year.
During the hearing we got to hear some great testimony from Patrick Willard of the AARP about the study they commissioned which showed that there was no positive correlation between caps on damages and quality of care in nursing homes.
We also heard from Floyd Stewart at the Center for Independent Living who shared some of his personal experiences of living in nursing homes. Daniel Clayton, president of the Tennessee Association for Justice also spoke. He pointed out how a similar bill in Texas had actually caused nursing home complaints to go up and staffing levels to go down, even though the corporations had witnessed a 80 percent savings in litigation costs.
Tennessee Citizen Action would like to thank all of those who testified against this bill as well as our supporters who called and wrote to their legislators telling them to oppose this bill. We ask that you continue to support our efforts to make sure we protect our most vulnerable citizens
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Nurses For Negligence Back on the Hill
Tuesday, the members of the House Civil Practice subcommittee were treated to a tax payer funded audience made up of the Nurses for Negligence. The committee heard testimony from those who want to take away protections for nursing home residents, but according to Rep. Kelsey, there was not enough time to hear from people testifying about some of the horrors these companies have inflicted on the loved ones committed to their care.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Citizen Action in the Tennessean
Citizen Action is glad to once again have our executive director featured in the Tennessee Voices section of the Tennessean. In his article, Tom lays out the case against changing the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act. As this blog discussed last week, these changes would allow for a host of shady business practices as well as effectively legalizing ponzi schemes in our state.
We once again urge you to contact your legislators and tell them to oppose changing the Consumer Protection Act.
We once again urge you to contact your legislators and tell them to oppose changing the Consumer Protection Act.
Nurses for Negligence Day on the Hill
Yesterday the legislative plaza was filled with the Nurses for Negligence(aka ChooseCareTN) as well as their lobbyists. Nurses for Negligence is a front group for the nursing home industry, which has spent nearly 1.5 million dollars since 2000 working a bill to limit the amount of money that juries can award victims of nursing home negligence.
Called the "Kill Old People Cheap" bill by some, the bill also sets aside a fund so that part of any money victims do receive goes right back to the nursing homes that harmed them. While the Nurses for Negligence claim that such changes are needed for better care, we know that if residents were provided with better care in the first place, there wouldn't be a need for the law suits.
Instead the industry chose to spend $850,000 hiring over 30 lobbyists to work this bill. Fortunately for nursing home residents, TNCA isn't alone in this fight as AARP, one of nation's leading groups on the issue, has also come out against this bill.
Called the "Kill Old People Cheap" bill by some, the bill also sets aside a fund so that part of any money victims do receive goes right back to the nursing homes that harmed them. While the Nurses for Negligence claim that such changes are needed for better care, we know that if residents were provided with better care in the first place, there wouldn't be a need for the law suits.
Instead the industry chose to spend $850,000 hiring over 30 lobbyists to work this bill. Fortunately for nursing home residents, TNCA isn't alone in this fight as AARP, one of nation's leading groups on the issue, has also come out against this bill.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Consumer (Non)Protection Act
Recently, a bill proposed by Representative McCord and Senator Black seeks to amend the Consumer Protection Act so that businesses are not liable for any problems that occur after the transaction.
Clearly both lawmakers are being lobbied by the Bernie Madoff and Rudy Russo group of businessmen. This law would let ponzi scheme operators get off with only have to pay damages on the initial transaction fees, not the life savings that are transfered after the contract is signed. It also lets car dealers to get away with not paying off your trade-in after they sign a contract saying they will.
There are plenty of other examples of ways this bill would hurt consumers, such as if an insurance company wanted to illegally deny a claim, you would have no recourse as this transgression occurred after the purchasing transaction.
We encourage everyone to contact their senator and representative and tell them that Tennesseans deserve better than this.
Clearly both lawmakers are being lobbied by the Bernie Madoff and Rudy Russo group of businessmen. This law would let ponzi scheme operators get off with only have to pay damages on the initial transaction fees, not the life savings that are transfered after the contract is signed. It also lets car dealers to get away with not paying off your trade-in after they sign a contract saying they will.
There are plenty of other examples of ways this bill would hurt consumers, such as if an insurance company wanted to illegally deny a claim, you would have no recourse as this transgression occurred after the purchasing transaction.
We encourage everyone to contact their senator and representative and tell them that Tennesseans deserve better than this.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
New Hampshire declares 365% loans oppressive, unfair trade practice
We recently received some good news from our friends at the Center for Responsible Lending that a New Hampshire court has ruled that loans which charge 365% interest rates are illegal under state law. Hopefully, Tennessee will soon follow suit.
Right now consumers in Tennessee are faced with paying well over 200% interest rates for loans from pay day and car title lenders, but TNCA is working with the Tennessee Coalition for Responsible Lending to pass legislation which would cap such loans at reasonable rates.
The importance of stamping out these usurious loans is hard to overstate. Even though the short term loan industry claims people need these loans, a recent study found that people approved for these loans go into bankruptcy far more often then those rejected.
Right now consumers in Tennessee are faced with paying well over 200% interest rates for loans from pay day and car title lenders, but TNCA is working with the Tennessee Coalition for Responsible Lending to pass legislation which would cap such loans at reasonable rates.
The importance of stamping out these usurious loans is hard to overstate. Even though the short term loan industry claims people need these loans, a recent study found that people approved for these loans go into bankruptcy far more often then those rejected.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Launching the New Blog with a Strong Agenda
Today we're launching our new blog "The Watchdog" by laying out our legislative agenda for the 2009 session. Our major focus will be on two main issues, predatory lending and nursing home protection, while still watching and working on other items as they come up . We plan to work closely with legislators on both sides of the aisle to make sure our agenda is passed. With some issues, such as predatory lending, we will be pushing to pass bills which help end some of the worst business practices in the state. On other issues, like nursing home protection, we will be fighting against bills which try to keep people who have been hurt by careless service providers from receiving fair compensation.
In the area of predatory lending, we will be working with the Coalition for Responsible Lending in Tennessee in supporting a bill regulating the rates which title lending companies can charge their customers. Currently such businesses charge the outrageous rate of 264% annual interest on their loans. We seek to cap such rates at 44%, which we believe is a number that will still allow lenders to profit but without trapping consumers in an endless cycle of debt.
We are also looking to support legislation requiring counseling for consumers looking into high priced home loans. With all the damage caused by the sub prime mortgage disaster, it is imperative that the legislature makes sure lenders fully disclose the terms of the loans and how they will affect the long term financial health of the borrowers.
Another area TNCA is focused on is nursing home protections. We know that it often when people need protection the most, that unscrupulous businesses will pounce. In the case of the elderly it is far to often the case that families trying to do the right thing end up placing their loved ones in the hands of people more interested in the bottom line, then providing quality care. Citizen Action will be working against bills which are designed to let nursing homes go unpunished for their negligent behavior and which seek to tip the scales of Justice in favor of the big nursing corporation against the families whose loved ones have been hurt.
We will be updating this blog regularly with new information about what's happening on Capitol Hill and ways you can get involved in making a difference. Please subscribe and check back often to see the latest on what's happening with Tennessee Citizen Action.
In the area of predatory lending, we will be working with the Coalition for Responsible Lending in Tennessee in supporting a bill regulating the rates which title lending companies can charge their customers. Currently such businesses charge the outrageous rate of 264% annual interest on their loans. We seek to cap such rates at 44%, which we believe is a number that will still allow lenders to profit but without trapping consumers in an endless cycle of debt.
We are also looking to support legislation requiring counseling for consumers looking into high priced home loans. With all the damage caused by the sub prime mortgage disaster, it is imperative that the legislature makes sure lenders fully disclose the terms of the loans and how they will affect the long term financial health of the borrowers.
Another area TNCA is focused on is nursing home protections. We know that it often when people need protection the most, that unscrupulous businesses will pounce. In the case of the elderly it is far to often the case that families trying to do the right thing end up placing their loved ones in the hands of people more interested in the bottom line, then providing quality care. Citizen Action will be working against bills which are designed to let nursing homes go unpunished for their negligent behavior and which seek to tip the scales of Justice in favor of the big nursing corporation against the families whose loved ones have been hurt.
We will be updating this blog regularly with new information about what's happening on Capitol Hill and ways you can get involved in making a difference. Please subscribe and check back often to see the latest on what's happening with Tennessee Citizen Action.
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