PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP & PENNPIRG EDUCATION FUND

Annual Report Fiscal Year 2005

Letter From The DirectorBeth McConnell

1.

On the cover: PennPIRG is working to protect consumers from identity theft, unsafe prescription drugs, cuts in health care, and is advocating the public interest at the state capital in Harrisburg.

It used to be that you could count on the federal government to step in and help defend our health, safety or financial security when corporate misbehavior got out of hand.

Lately, that hasn t̓ been the case.

When the nation learned that drug companies like Merck and GlaxoSmithKline withheld important information about the safety of their drugs, with serious and in some cases fatal consequences for the public, the Food and Drug Administration did nothing.

Despite knowing for decades that patients in our nation s̓ hospitals were contracting infections due to lax sanitary practices, the federal government failed to address the problem.

As an epidemic of identity theft swept the nation, Congress did little to regulate the banks and credit card com-panies that too often let our personal information slip into the wrong hands.

With the federal government failing to stand up for consumers on these and other issues, this past year PennPIRG looked to state officials to step into the breach.

We worked in Harrisburg to introduce a Prescription Drug Right-To-Know Act, which would help prevent drug companies from covering up evidence of dangerous side effects (see page 5).

Our actions also prompted the state to better enforce another consumer right-to-know provision, one that requires public disclosure of infection rates at hospitals in the state (see page 3).

And we advanced legislation in Harrisburg to give you and other consumers more control over your personal information, and to hold banks and credit card companies accountable for their actions (see page 2).

Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. Even as PennPIRG and other groups made progress for consum-ers at the state level, the banks and other powerful interests pushed Congress to trample the ability of states to protect their own citizens on these and other issues. We fought to stop them (see page 8).

On each of these fronts and more, we couldn t̓ have advanced as far as we did without the dozens of consumer, health and safety advocates who stood with us, without the leaders in state government who demonstrated the courage of their convictions, nor without the members and other supporters who kept us going financially and otherwise. Thank you, once again, for your part in another year of action and progress with PennPIRG.

PennPIRG called for new legislation to protect victims of identity theft in response to a flurry of security breaches at large corporations in 2004 and 2005. One of the largest, Choicepoint, sold the personal financial information of 145,000 individuals—including more than 1,800 Pennsylvanians—to thieves. The public was only notified of the theft due to a California law that requires notification of potential victims. But Choicepoint resisted informing Pennsylvania consumers due to the absence of a similar state law. Lexis-Nexis, GM Mastercard and dozens of other companies have admitted to similar security breaches.

In January, PennPIRG unveiled the Clean Credit and Identity Theft Protection Act, a series of model laws the state Legislature could adopt to protect consumers from identity theft. The model laws included a requirement that consumers be notified when a security breach occurs, another provision allowing consumers to freeze access to their credit reports to prevent fraud, and a prohibition on companies displaying an individualʼs social security number.

Despite their role in unleashing an epidemic of identity theft—affecting 9 million Americans last year—lobbyists for financial companies succeeded in weakening the legislation to exempt themselves. The Breach of Personal Information Notification Act (Senate Bill

712), for example, exempted the very firms that consumers worry about the most: their banks and credit card companies. The bill passed the Senate in July, and awaited action in the House at the time of this report.

“What started out as good legislation to protect consumers became more protective of the industries that contribute to identity theft,” said Beth McConnell, PennPIRGʼs director. McConnell urged representatives and senators to pass legislation that wouldnʼt contain those loopholes, such as bills sponsored by Rep. Joe Preston (HB 1023) and Rep. Josh Shapiro (HB 1785).

Security breaches at many big data-dealing corporations have made us more vulnerable to identity theft.

Victim’s StoryPennPIRG urged lawmakers to close loopholes in a new law designed to prevent identity thieves from gaining access to our financial data

Preventing Identity TheftBanks Let Off The Hook For Their Role In ID Theft

Peter Balsamo of the Wilkes-Barre area wants to freeze access to his credit report to stop thieves from opening accounts in his name, but the credit bureaus won’t let him.

That’s because the Legislature has yet to pass a measure giving Peter and other Pennsylvania consumers the same rights consumers in New Jersey and several other states have: to block access to their credit reports as a means to prevent identity theft. Peter contacted PennPIRG during the sum-mer of 2005 when he learned a thief had racked up over $11,000 in fraudu-lent charges in his name.

PennPIRG shared Peter’s story with the Legislature and news media to help raise the profile of pro-consumer secu-rity freeze legislation (Senate Bill 180), which was introduced by Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre County) in February.

Make Hospitals Come CleanReport Showed 11,600 Infected While Seeking Medical Care

3.

New and startling information about Pennsylvania hospitals came to light in 2005, due in large part to PennPIRG Education Fund advocacy.

According to a state report, in 2004:

• at least 11,600 patients contracted in-fections while seeking medical care in Pennsylvania,

• at least 1,793 of these patients died as a result, and

• in addition to the cost in human lives, the infections kept patients in the hospital an extra 205,000 days at a cost of $2 billion to the health care system.

“These are sobering numbers,” said Beth McConnell, PennPIRG Education Fund director. “Shining a light on these facts is a painful, but important first step toward reform and safer hospitals.”

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Con-tainment Council (PHC4) released the data in July. The report, the first of its kind in the nation, has put pressure on hospi-tals across the state to better protect their patients from dangerous infections.

Enforcing The LawCurrent Pennsylvania law requires hospi-tals to report each quarter the number of patients who have acquired four types of infections: surgical site infections, Foley

catheter-associated urinary tract infec-tions, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and central line-associated bloodstream infections.

Under the law, these hospital-specific reports are then supposed to be released to the public, so patients, policy makers and hospitals themselves know which facilities are doing a good job monitoring and preventing infections, and which need to improve.

Over the course of a year, PennPIRG Education Fund and Consumers Union held a series of meetings with PHC4 s̓ Ex-ecutive Director Marc Volavka and other agency staff to urge them to aggressively

Annual Report 2005

PennPIRG Education Fund s̓ Beth McConnell appeared on Pittsburgh s̓ Channel 11 to discuss the first-ever hospital infection reports.

The state report was released after PennPIRG Education Fund pushed state officials to enforce public right-to-know laws

enforce the reporting rules and to show them the public was behind the agencyʼs regulations.

The groups also met with the editors of the stateʼs largest newspapers to urge them to educate their readers about hos-pital infections, and publicized PHC4ʼs report on television and radio stations across the state.

“For the first time in the U.S., a state agency has published concrete data that tell us how widespread hospital-acquired infections are,” said PennPIRG Educa-tion Fundʼs Beth McConnell. “If we can make sure the data reaches the public, this report has the potential to improve patient safety not only here in Pennsylvania but nationwide.”

Pennsylvania Starts A Nationwide TrendWhile Pennsylvania is the first state in the nation to actually collect hospital-specific infection reports, other states, including Virginia, Nebraska, Nevada, and most recently New York, adopted similar laws in 2005.

Florida, Illinois and Missouri are cur-rently in the process of implementing similar laws. Thirty other states have considered or are currently consider-ing similar legislation. Other states are watching Pennsylvania closely to see how it implements the hospital infection reporting rules.

The Tip Of The IcebergThe PHC4 report is a good first step. Yet the report undoubtedly understates the

PennPIRG partnered with these groups and others on campaigns:

Consumer Federation Of AmericaACORNConsumers UnionCommunity Legal Services Of PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia Citizens For Children And YouthMedia TankThe People’s Medical SocietyCitizens For Consumer JusticeThe Service Employees International UnionPennsylvania AFL-CIOCommunications Workers Of America

Our Mission

Adherence to simple sanitary practices, such has regular hand-washing, can dramatically reduce the chance that patients will contract dangerous infections during hospital stays. To prod hospitals into improving sanitary practices, PennPIRG has pushed for public disclosure of hospital infection rates. Coalitions

When corporate or governmental wrongdoing threatens our health and safety, or violates the fundamental prin-ciples of fairness and justice, PennPIRG stands up for Pennsylvania consumers.

We conduct investigative research, publish reports and exposés, advocate new laws, and, when necessary, take corporate wrongdoers or unresponsive government to court.

PennPIRG was founded in 1986, and has offices in Philadelphia, Harrisburg and a national lobbying office in Wash-ington, D.C., U.S.PIRG.

extent of the hospital infection problem in Pennsylvania.

Even with underreporting, PHC4 esti-mates that hospitals incurred an extra $2 billion for 205,000 extra days of hospital-ization. Those expenses are passed along to all consumers in the form of higher health care costs, and strain our already overburdened health care system. An ear-lier report issued by PHC4 in May 2005 also estimated that the stateʼs Medicaid program is spending over $125 million just treating hospital acquired infections. “The Medicaid program suffered over $200 million in funding cuts in the state budget adopted in July, so there s̓ no room

for unnecessary illnesses and costs due to hospital infections,” said McConnell.

The agency has acknowledged that a number of hospitals failed to disclose sufficient information about their safety records. For example, according to PHC4:

• 16 hospitals reported no infections.

• Just 29 hospitals reported more than half of the infections, and while hospitals reported a total of 11,668 infections, they billed insurers for 115,631 patient-related infections during the same time period.

“While some hospitals make good-faith efforts to comply with the reporting rules, there are still many hospitals that havenʼt done due diligence,” said McConnell.

PennPIRG Education Fund is calling on PHC4 to use its ability to fine and audit hospitals by the end of the year to ensure better compliance, which will lead to hospital-specific reports.

Publicizing hospital-specific reports would put greater pressure on individual hospitals to improve their patient safety practices, and would give consumers information they need to make smarter choices about where to seek treatment.

PennPIRG Education Fund and Con-sumers Union will continue to monitor PHC4ʼs enforcement of—and hospitals ̓compliance with—the reporting rules, and educate health care consumers about the problem.

In particular, the groups will continue to urge PHC4 to audit and fine hospitals that fail to fully comply with the reporting rules by the start of 2006.

Calling For Safer Prescription DrugsDrug Safety Scandals Put Pressure On Firms To Release Data

5.

Rising costs and political gridlock threat-ened the access of many Pennsylvanians to affordable, quality health care in 2004-2005, but PennPIRGʼs advocacy helped achieve significant victories on behalf of health care consumers.

Campaign For Safe Prescriptions Marion Goff doesnʼt want another family to go through what hers did when her 9-year old daughter attempted suicide after taking Paxil. Paxil was not approved for use in children, yet GlaxoSmithKline,Paxilʼs maker, marketed it as effective for kids.

The firm did so despite four studies suggesting the drug could cause sui-cidal behavior in children and adoles-cents—studies the firm failed to publish. By failing to disclose the risks, doctors, patients and their families—such as Marion s̓—couldnʼt have known the truth. Marionʼs daughter was later found to be suffering not from depression, but from Lyme disease, which attacked her central nervous system.

“The public has a right to know the truth about the safety of what̓ s in our medicine cabinets, but too many pharmaceutical companies hide information about risks,” said PennPIRG s̓ Beth McConnell. Pharmaceutical giant Merck has also come under fire for suppressing unfavorable studies of VIOXX, its blockbuster pain medica-tion that was recalled in September 2004 due to safety concerns.

lentown), would give the public access to all information about the risks of prescrip-tion drugs, rather than just the studies drug companies choose to publish.

Blues’ Surplus To Insure 29,000 New PatientsTwenty-nine thousand previously unin-sured Pennsylvanians will now gain the peace of mind that comes with health care coverage, thanks to an agreement backed by PennPIRG Education Fund between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and four Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans (the Blues).

On February 1, Gov. Ed Rendell an-nounced the agreement, under which $86 million of the nonprofit health insurers ̓$6 billion surplus will be used to enroll 29,000 Pennsylvanians in the stateʼs “adultBasic” health care plan for the next six years.

Last June, PennPIRG Education Fund and a coalition of several other nonprofit advocacy organizations met with the governor to urge him to convince the Blues to use some of their surplus to avoid cutting individuals from adultBasic. The program was facing revenue shortfalls, and had a waiting list of over 100,000 Pennsylvanians.

“Providing health care coverage for tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians is a signif-icant victory, and PennPIRG applauds the governor for this step,” said PennPIRG Education Fundʼs McConnell.

The Blues maintain a surplus of nearly $4 billion statewide, and were seeking

On July 19, Marion told her story at a hearing of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which will recommend changes to safety rules at the Food and Drug Ad-ministration (FDA).

At the same hearing, McConnell urged the IOM to reject suggestions from the drug industry that federal law preempt state efforts to require disclosure of safety tests.

PennPIRG also worked to build support for Senate Bill 894, the Prescription Drug Right-To-Know Act, in the General As-sembly.

The legislation, drafted by PennPIRG and introduced by Sen. Patrick Browne (R-Al-

PennPIRG called for passage of the Prescription Drug Right-To-Know Act, and helped broker a deal expanding health care coverage

Under the Prescription Drug Right-To-Know Act, pharmaceutical companies would have to disclose evidence of harmful side effects.

PennPIRG

Case Study permission from the stateʼs Insurance Department to increase their savings to $6 billion.

PennPIRG Education Fund and a coalition of 14 other nonprofit organizations and the City of Philadelphia filed comments with the department in September 2004, urging it to reject the surplus request and clarify the Blues ̓legal mandate of serving a charitable mission.

As a nonprofit, the Blues are obligated under state law to further a social mission. Yet, the insurers amassed enormous sur-pluses, failed to demonstrate fulfillment of their charitable mission, and raised health

Lindsey Johnson, PennPIRG s̓ federal consumer advocate, was interviewed on CNN Headline News on July 29 about the safety of prescription drugs. PennPIRG continues to work to restore state funding for Medicaid and protect consumers ̓access to affordable health care.

1999• VIOXX receives FDA approval as a painkiller. Merck begins to aggressively promote VIOXX.

2000• Merck’s own clinical trial, known as VIGOR, shows that patients taking VIOXX have twice the rate of cardiovascular problems than patients taking a similar drug. Researchers specifically point to the molecular structure of VIOXX as the reason for the increased heart disease risk.

• Despite their study, Merck issues a press release saying there is no difference in heart attack risk between VIOXX and other, older pain medications.

• Around this time an internal document called “VIOXX Dodge Ball” is distributed to Merck’s sales representatives. The memo gives the reps specific instructions to “dodge” doctors’ ques- tions about the risks of VIOXX, and lie to doctors by telling them the VIGOR study didn’t prove that VIOXX was dangerous, but rather that comparable drugs had heart-healthy benefits.

2001• Merck issues a press release titled “Merck Confirms Favorable Cardiovascular Safety Pro- file of VIOXX.” The FDA would later warn Merck, “[Y]our claim in the press release that VIOXX has a ‘favorable cardiovascular profile’ is simply incomprehensible...”

• Merck spends $500 million marketing VIOXX to medical professionals.

2003• FDA researcher Dr. David Graham announces the results of his new study that showed VIOXX was dangerous. Graham’s superiors at the FDA pressure him to “water down” the study and change his conclusions.

2004• Merck withdraws VIOXX from the market. At the time, over 100 million VIOXX prescriptions had been filled.

VIOXX: A Concious Effort To Hide The Facts

insurance premiums across the state.

While praising the governor for his work earmarking a small amount of the Blues ̓surplus for the uninsured, PennPIRG Education Fund criticized the depart-ment for approving the Blues ̓ surplus request just one day after the governor announced the voluntary agreement.

“We need meaningful, long-term reform of the Blues surplus, and the voluntary agreement shouldnʼt preclude that,” said McConnell. PennPIRG Education Fund joined the health care coalition

in filing a petition in Commonwealth Court in March to overturn the insurance commissionerʼs ruling.

Medicaid Cuts Threaten AccessThe 2005-2006 budget signed by Gov. Rendell in July included more than $220 million in cuts for the Pennsylvania Medicaid program, reducing benefits for some of Pennsylvaniaʼs sickest and most needy.

The cuts came at a time of rising health care costs that prevented most Americans from being able to afford basic medical care out-of pocket, particularly those with serious illnesses and limited incomes.

Gov. Rendell originally proposed cutting over $500 million from the program this year, but advocacy efforts convinced political leaders to restore some of those funds. Close to 100 PennPIRG members called Gov. Rendell in opposition to the cuts.

Fearing more proposed cuts in the 2006-2007 budget to be announced this Febru-ary, PennPIRG plans to work with other health care advocacy groups to call for new sources of revenue to protect health care funding and restore previous cuts.

Closing The Corporate Tax LoopholeTop State Officials Joined The Call For Tax Reform

7.

voluntary.” Fajt pointed to the fact that 73 percent of corporations subject to the CNI tax pay nothing.

Over the last three years, PennPIRG re-leased research reports on the impact of tax loopholes, reached out to dozens of small business owners who could benefit by reform, and lobbied legislators to build support. The Business Tax Reform Com-mission reviewed PennPIRGʼs research on the economic impact of combined reporting during its deliberations.

“Passing combined reporting would be a huge step towards tax fairness in Penn-sylvania,” said McConnell.

However, the Pennsylvania General Assembly failed to adopt combined reporting rules as part of the 2005-2006 budget passed in July 2005. As legisla-tors returned from the summer recess, the policy was still being considered.

Annual Report 2005

The Business Tax Reform Commission echoed PennPIRG’s call to close a loophole that allows out-of-state firms to dodge taxes

ject to Pennsylvania taxes based on the company s̓ presence here. This effectively reduces the incentive for a corporation to shift profit from one state to another to avoid taxation.

Seventeen other states have already ad-opted combined reporting. In his February budget address, Gov. Rendell announced his support for combined reporting, along with his intention to use the revenue to reduce the Corporate Net Income (CNI) tax on other businesses.

At an April 14 hearing on the governorʼs proposal in the House Finance Com-mittee, Secretary Fajt said, “For many large, multi-state taxpayers, payment of Pennsylvaniaʼs CNI tax is essentially

PennPIRG s̓ three-year campaign to close corporate tax loopholes in Pennsylvania gained momentum in the Legislature in 2004-2005, thanks in part to the support of the stateʼs Business Tax Reform Com-mission, Gov. Rendell and Department of Revenue Secretary Greg Fajt.

PennPIRG pushed to close the loopholes, which allow multi-state corporations to shift profit and revenue earned in Pennsyl-vania to out-of-state subsidiaries to avoid taxation. The corporations pay inflated prices to their subsidiaries, or pay them for phony services never performed, in order to move money out of Pennsyl-vania and to states, such as Delaware or Nevada, that have low or no corporate income taxes.

“When corporations donʼt pay their fair share, smaller businesses pay more to make up whatʼs lost, and Pennsylvania loses the revenue it needs for public ser-vices such as transportation, health care and environmental protection,” saidPennPIRGʼs Beth McConnell.

The loopholes can be closed with a policy known as “combined reporting.”

Combined reporting requires that a corporation report its profit and losses from all of its out-of-state subsidiaries, including those in tax-haven states. The Department of Revenue then determines how much of the revenue should be sub-

Gov. Ed Rendell and Revenue Secretary Greg Fajt (center) address members of the Business Tax Reform Commission on April 8, 2004 on the need to make business taxes more equitable. The Commission later endorsed PennPIRG-backed policies to close corporate tax loopholes.

Our Voice In Washington, D.C.PennPIRG’s National Advocacy Staff In Action

Federal OfficeOur D.C. advocates allow PennPIRG to keep a close eye on federal policies that could affect Pennsylvania consumers

Toy SafetyIn November 2004, U.S. PIRGʼs Lind-sey Johnson released the 19th annual “Trouble In Toyland” report, which shows that dangerous childrenʼs toys can still be found in stores.

Included in the report was the popular “water yo-yo” ball, which several coun-tries have banned because of incidents in which it wrapped tightly around chil-drenʼs necks or caused other injuries. As of October 2004, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) had received more than 400 injury reports related to the toy, but had not taken action.

U.S. PIRG s̓ reports have led to more than 120 CPSC recalls and other enforcement actions; the CPSC recalled two toys from the 2004 PIRG report.

Free Access To Credit ReportsConsumer advocate Ed Mierzwinski pub-licized new rules that give consumers a free copy of their credit report. Effective December 1, 2005 on the west coast, and September 1, 2005 on the east coast, the provision was the centerpiece of major amendments to the 1970 Fair Credit Re-porting Act and was a top priority for U.S. PIRG. Mierzwinski appeared on the final NBC News with Tom Brokaw, as well as in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal to publicize the new rules.

Campaign Finance ReformU.S. PIRG Democracy Advocates Gary Kalman and Adam Lioz released a new re-port in 2005, “The Role of Hard Money.” This report shows that after the first full election cycle, with new federal campaign finance rules in place, candidates and political parties raised more money than ever before, toppling $2.5 billion.

While U.S. PIRG is supportive of campaign finance reform, the organization opposed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) because it allowed for dou-bling the limits on contributions that can be made directly to candidates, thus pumping more money into the political system.

PennPIRG’s federal consumer advocate, Ed Mierz-winski, appeared on ABC to call on Congress to pass meaningful identity theft reform laws.

PennPIRG joins with other state PIRGs in directing a national lobbying office in Washington D.C., U.S. PIRG. Since 1983, U.S. PIRG advocacy staff have served as a voice for consumers in the halls of Congress, and work to influ-ence decisions made by federal agen-cies and the Bush administration.

State PIRG directors serve on the board of U.S. PIRG, and ensure the organization prioritizes issues that help bolster our state-level advocacy. In the past two decades, the original team of seven staff has since grown to a staff of nearly 50 advocates, organizers and attorneys.

With heating oil prices over 30 percent higher in the winter of 2004-2005 than in the previous year, members of PIRG Fuel Buyers collectively saved approximately $115,000 last winter.

By combining the buying power of 1,000 households in the Delaware Valley, PIRG Fuel Buyers negotiated better prices from heating oil suppliers, and passed those savings along to co-op members.

“When energy prices rise, many con-sumers have to choose between heating their home and other basic necessities,” said Fuel Buyers Director Emily Schiller. “PIRG Fuel Buyers helps make it easier for those households to make ends meet.”

PIRG Fuel Buyers also expanded its operation in 2004 by working with a new oil supplier, Family Fuel of north-east Philadelphia. PIRG Fuel Buyers also works with four other oil suppliers, including Master Oil, a division of Kel-ley Energy of Philadelphia, Action Fuel of southwest Philadelphia, Petro Oil of Southhampton, and Cochran Oil of New Castle, Delaware. Working with these suppliers, PIRG Fuel Buyers provides the co-op s̓ benefits to households in most of the five-county Philadelphia area and northern Delaware.

In addition to saving consumers money on their home heating oil bills, PIRG Fuel Buyers advocated policies to protect util-ity consumers. For example, Fuel Buyers urged Gov. Rendell to veto legislation that would allow utilities to shut off consum-ers ̓electricity in the winter, endangering lives by taking away vital necessities such as heat and light when weather conditions are extreme. The governor signed the bill in November 2004, to the dismay of PIRG Fuel Buyers and dozens of other consumer groups that also opposed the measure.

On another front, PIRG Fuel Buyers suc-cessfully lobbied the Pennsylvania con-gressional delegation to urge President Bush to release $150 million in emergen-cy assistance for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP provides cash assistance for low-income oil, gas and electric custom-ers that are facing shut-offs or have run out of heating oil.

In anticipation of even higher prices in the winter of 2005-2006, PIRG Fuel Buyers plans to expand their service territory to benefit more consumers in Pennsylvania.

Financial Information

Charts reflect FY05 financial informa-tion for PennPIRG and the PennPIRG Education Fund.

Citizen Contributions 84% Other 10% Foundation Grants 6%

FY05 Income FY05 Expenses

Program 71%Fundraising 19%Administration 10%

9.

PIRG Fuel BuyersSaving Consumers Money On Their Utility Bills

In addition to saving consumers money on heating oil, PIRG Fuel Buyers advocated consumer interests in Harrisburg and Washington

PIRG Fuel Buyers Director Emily Schiller warns consumers watching Philadelphia s̓ Action News about the rising cost of oil, and gives them ways to save money.

FY05 Program Expenses Breakdown Design And Photo Credits

Photo Credits: PIRG staff except as noted: cover: ClipArt.com, Comcast Network, Photostogo.com, iStockPhoto.com, p.3 NBC 11 (WPXI), p.4 NIH.gov, p.5 ClipArt.com, p.6 ClipArt.com, p.9 ABC 6 (WPVI). Design by Public Interest GRFX (215) 985-1113; Printing by FoxFire Printing. Printed on recycled paper.

Thousands of Pennsylvanians supported PennPIRG by making contibutions in Fiscal Year 2005. The members listed here were particularly generous in their support of our work. Names that appear in italics denote PennPIRG Public Interest Partners. These members provide stability to the organizationʼs resources through our monthly giving program.

Program 71%Fundraising 19%Administration 10%

PennPIRG SupportersPennPIRG And The PennPIRG Education Fund

DevelpopmentPatrons supported PennPIRG with contribu-tions of $500 or more, or are Public Interest Partners giving $40 or more each month.

Douglas H. Phelps • Jonathan Marks • Joseph Potz • Robert Jennings Jr. • David Gamble • Joette Keenan • Susan Bradley

PatronsSponsors contributed $250 or more, or are Public Interest Partners giving $20 or more each month.

Alice Case • Ann W. Spaeth • Anna Gerrity • Barbara Fortner • Beth Strawbridge • Bob Luisi • Bradford Beal • Bridget Tomasicchio • Carl & Paula Miller • Christina Hayakawa • David Hakes • Harvey M. Morris • Howard Eisen • Irving Sears • James Kirchner • Jane Goeke • Joan Vondra •John Bitman • John Colgan-Davis • Jonathan Harris • Joseph Steele • Judith Rishel • Kate Browning-Laffe • Kate Sparks • Kathleen A. Washington • Lisa Howe • Lissa Bryan-Smith • Lorna Se-crest • Marie Conti • Marilyn Gilroy • Marla & Peter Loevy • Marla Gendelman • Mary Hartman • Michael Rutkowski • Michelle Craven • Nancy De Streel • Nancy Elfant • Nancy Grady • Pamela Mehalick • Paul Goldenberg • Paul Mintz • Richard Malloy • Robert Stuart • Rosemarie Rosenberg • Rosemary Hoffman • Samuel F. Etris • Shelley Edalatpour • Terry Hoodak • Thomas Hurley • Timothy Montague • Tracey Marino • Vicki

Gershon • Vicki Lachman • Vince Sanfilippo • Wendy Eberly

SponsorsSponsors contrinbuted $150 or more, or are Public Interest Partners giving $15 or more each month.

Amy Cohen • Andrew Margulies • Andrew Rosen • Anita Janney • Barbara Hanrahan • Barbara Smith • Bonita Cassel • Carol Rub-inger • Chris Stanley • Christine Godshall • Christopher Grala • Debbie Rubino • Donna Miller • Dorothy Weidman • Douglas Riblet • Eleanore Potter • Elisabeth Roark • Eugene M. Lugano • Gary Holman • Gary Lee Rathsmill • Glenn Roach • Harry Johnston Jr • Herb Gramberg • IN Wueschinski • Ira Gerstman • James Hudgings • James Murphy • James Thomas • Jeanny Vory Canby • Joe Leva • John Scruggs • John Spitko Jr • John & Martha Wolf • Joseph Gardocki • Joshua Mitteldorf • Joy Mcknight • Karl Fasolt • Kathryn Garrity • Ken Klein • Kendall E. Martin • Lance Rosen • Laura Rostow • Linda Hogan • Linda Pistilli • Margaret Gray • Margaret Hancherick • Megan Di Marie • Melitta Hallman • Mervin Stewart • Michael Bull • Michael Lydon • Mi-chael Riley • Nicholas Tallos • Patricia Wells • Paul Neidigh • Pete Morrison • Renata Whita-ker • Renee Stock • Richard Miselis • Robert Gluckman • Robert Kunz • S. Neil Schlosser • Sarah Kern • Sharon Parrish • Sheryl Durham • Stephany Goloveyko • Stephen Cavanagh • Steven Lieblein • Susan Denman • Susan

Wozniak • Susanne Vanleer-Nolde • Suzanne Abdulhay • Suzanne Parsons • Tom Dipaolo • Uri Blank • Stephanie & Vicky Haynes-Kresge • Wayne Clugston • William Patten • William Stratton • Katherine H. Mc Nabb

FoundationsPennPIRG Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, conducts research and public education on emerging public interest issues. Contributions to PennPIRG Education Fund are tax-deductable. PennPIRG Education Fund has received recent grant awards from:

• 1957 Charity Foundation, Inc.

• Colston Warne Program of Consumers Union

• Consumer Federation of America Foundation

• Media Justice Fund

• Ottinger Foundation

• Philadelphia Foundation

Planned GivingMembers who include PennPIRG in their wills leave a legacy of activism that will protect consumers and taxpayers, as well as revitalize participation in the democratic process for decades to come. For more information about including PennPIRG in your estate and major giving plans, call (800) 841-7299 or E-mail plannedgiving@pennpirg.org

Safe, Affordable Prescription Drugs 39%Health Care 37%Stop The Corporate Tax Dodge 12%Consumer Protection/Other 12%

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Contact us:

2005 Annual ReportPennPIRG Staff (Partial List)

Beth McConnellState Director, PennPIRG

Emily SchillerDirector, PIRG Fuel Buyers

Ed MierzwinskiConsumer Program Director, U.S. PIRG

Adam LiozDemocracy Advocate,U.S. PIRG

1015-A N. Front St.Harrisburg, PA 17102(717) 230-9710

PIRG Fuel Buyers1334 Walnut St., 6th Fl.Philadelphia, PA 19107(215) 893-FUEL