Florida takes national LifeSmarts title in 2015 – National Consumers League

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This post originally appeared on LifeSmarts.org. LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League.

What an exciting conclusion to our 21st year! Florida topped Rhode Island by the slimmest of margins – just 2 points – to win the National LifeSmarts Championship last week in Seattle, WA.

Congratulations to coach Kathy Loggie and her LifeSmarts team from Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, Florida. Team members Harrison Andrew, Joseph Cain, Aaron Routzong, Evan Spaulding, and Captain Nicholas Pellegrino are to be commended for the consumer smarts they demonstrated throughout competition.

Team members each received $1,000 post-secondary education scholarships from Amazon.com and Western Union, and Microsoft Surface Tablets.

I also want to commend the other top-placing teams who competed deep into the national championship:

Second Place: Rhode Island; Barrington High School, Barrington, RI

Coach: Samuel Schachter

Captain: Matthew Lamontagne; Team members: Steven Forte, Brian McGartoll, Teddy Ni, and Eli Shea

Third Place: Hawaii; ‘Iolani High School, Honolulu, HI

Coach: James Rubasch

Captain: Justus Wataru; Team members: Noah Asada, Matthew Azama, Norton Kishi, Bailey Sylvester

Third Place (tied): Michigan; Fenton High School, Fenton, MI

Coach: Bruce Burwitz, Co-coach: Andy Cocagne

Captain: Jacob Goodman; Team members: Andrew Celini, Katherine Hiller, Kelsey Krause, Zachary Williams

To begin to appreciate the broad consumer knowledge students gain by participating in LifeSmarts, here are a few of the questions the Florida and Rhode Island teams tackled in the national finals:

  1. When college students apply for financial aid, they should complete this form to determine their family’s expected contribution to their education: (Answer: FAFSA; Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
  2. Why is texting while driving considered the most dangerous form of distracted driving? (Answer: It requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver; drivers have to take their eyes, hands, and mind off of the road)
  3. How do consumers react when consumer confidence is going up? (Answer: Consumers spend more freely)
  4. Name one advantage of using DRM? (Answer: Fights copyright infringement; helps ensure digital content is legitimate)
  5. Harmful “germs” or disease-causing microorganisms are called: (Answer: Pathogens)
  6. Name two ways consumers can help conserve water in the yard: (Answers: Irrigate more efficiently; use water-wise plants; improve the soil; harvest rainwater; use graywater instead of potable water on plants; design a more water-efficient landscape)

We often remind students and coaches that they are all winners in LifeSmarts. We sincerely believe it. I hope that the journey to learning more about consumer issues has been a fantastic one for all of our competitors this year!

Remember: LifeSmarts resources remain available year-round at LifeSmarts.org, and competition begins again after Labor Day!

National Consumers League statement on introduction of Online Consumer Privacy and Data Security Act of 2015 – National Consumers League

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April 30, 2015

Contact: NCL Communications, Carol McKay (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League, America’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy organization, today applauded the introduction of the Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2015 by Senator Leahy and others.

The following statement is attributable to John Breyault, NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud:

“It is critically important that Congress gets it right on consumer protections related to data breaches. One need only read the headlines to see the havoc that mega-breaches at our nation’s largest companies are wreaking on tens of millions of consumers. That is why we are pleased to support Senator Leahy’s efforts to craft strongly pro-consumer data security and data breach notification legislation. The Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2015 would create strong incentives for businesses to better protect the vast amounts of consumer data they are collecting. Importantly, the bill allows states to continue to serve as laboratories of democracy by innovating beyond the consumer protection floor set by this bill. We urge Chairman Grassley and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to support this common sense consumer protection legislation.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Blue Bell listeria recall too little, too late – National Consumers League

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April 22, 2015

Contact: NCL Communications, Carol McKay (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington DC— As of Monday, Blue Bell Creameries, a Texas based ice cream company, issued a voluntary recall of all of its products presently in stores, originating from any of its processing facilities. Blue Bell slowly expanded the recall when original clean up efforts to rid its production facilities of Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in vulnerable populations, were ineffective. Last month, Blue Bell issued its first recall, which covered ten varieties of its frozen desserts. On Monday, two tubs of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream tested positive for listeria, prompting the widespread voluntary recall. So far, three deaths and several illnesses have been linked to the outbreak. 

The following statement is attributable to Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League:

“This is a sad outcome. Vulnerable hospital patients fell victim to this terrible listeria pathogen, which demonstrates the extreme importance of having stringent food safety standards in the United States. Consumers assume their food is safe. We applaud Blue Bell’s willingness to conduct a voluntary recall of products, however, we are disappointed by how long it took for the company and the federal government to address the situation.  It’s up to retailers and producers to do the right thing when a problem arises.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Students from Jacksonville, FL take 2015 National LifeSmarts Championship – National Consumers League

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April 20, 2015

Contact: Carol McKay, (724) 799-5392, carolm@nclnet.org

Seattle, WA—The student team from Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, FL, coached by Kathie Logie, was crowned national LifeSmarts champions in Seattle on Monday, April 20 at the 21st annual National LifeSmarts Championship. In a historically tight final match against the second-place team from Rhode Island’s Barrington High School, the teens from Florida outplayed their opponents in an exciting end to the 4-day competition. The Paxon team took the national title in 2013 as well.

Teams from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Fenton, Michigan placed third.

“We are so proud of these students from Florida, who represented their state program with class and pride,” said LifeSmarts Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “They played hard and demonstrated their consumer smarts throughout the four-day event. They are true LifeSmarts champions.”

LifeSmarts is a program run by the Washington, DC-based National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization. It competitively tests high school students’ knowledge of consumer awareness, with subjects including personal finance, health and safety, consumer rights and responsibility, technology, and the environment. LifeSmarts is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in partnership programs with student leadership programs FBLA and FCCLA.

Teens from each of the 34 state champion teams represented at nationals competed as individuals, and the top five scorers received scholarships from NCL. This year’s winners were:

  • Environment: Chris Biesecker, Pennsylvania
  • Personal Finance: Matthew Lamontagne, Rhode Island
  • Health and Safety: Taylor Heslop, Kansas
  • Consumer Rights and Responsibilities: Steven Forte, Rhode Island
  • Technology: Teddy Ni, Rhode Island

Kelsey Becker, from North Dakota, and Matthew Lamontagne from the Rhode Island team, were named the 2015 Students of the Year. Jennifer Bearchell, from Flagstaff, AZ, was named LifeSmarts Coach of the Year. Long-time State Coordinators Bill Wilcox and Joan Kinney, from Wisconsin, earned the Coordinators of the Year honor.

“NCL’s LifeSmarts program is allowing us to rear a generation of consumer-savvy teenagers who often outsmart their parents on issues related to avoiding fraud, credit and debt, and complicated healthcare decisions,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. In the 21 years that LifeSmarts has been educating high school and middle school teens on consumer issues, it has grown dramatically, with more than 3 million consumer questions answered at www.lifesmarts.org in the online competition during the 2014-2015 program year.

For team photos, event schedules, grid standings, and more, log on to www.facebook.com/LifeSmarts

All winners at the national LifeSmarts Competition received valuable prizes donated by sponsors to the National Consumers League, including scholarships, savings bonds, gift cards, and more. To learn more about the program, contact NCL’s Lisa Hertzberg at 202-835-3323.

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About LifeSmarts and the National Consumers League

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL statement on Commerce Committee markup of the Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2015 – National Consumers League

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April 15, 2015

Contact: NCL Communications, Carol McKay (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – Today, the House Energy & Commerce Committee approved HR 1770, the Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2015. NCL had previously hoped that this bill would be improved in committee. Unfortunately, as today’s partisan vote made clear, that has not happened. The following statement is attributable to John Breyault, NCL Vice President, Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud:

At a time when millions of consumers are increasingly at risk of identity theft due to massive data breaches, it boggles the mind that Congress is contemplating reducing data security protections. Unfortunately, that is exactly what will happen if H.R. 1770, the Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2015, becomes the law. The bill, which today passed out of committee on a party-line vote, would actually weaken existing consumer protections in 38 states. No major consumer groups are supporting this bill. Even Congressman Welch, who co-sponsored the bill, did not vote to move it to the floor.

Despite massive breaches at companies like Target, Home Depot, Anthem, Primera and countless others, it seems clear that the majority in Congress is intent on crafting a bill that weakens consumer protections by reducing or removing businesses’ data security obligations. Any Member of Congress who claims to be pro-consumer should oppose this bill in its current form. 

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Equal Pay Day – National Consumers League

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Sally GreenbergWhat does Equal Pay Day mean in America? It’s a time for reflecting on why women still less than their male counterparts. In 1963, when President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, women earned 59 Cents for every dollar earned by men. That number in 2013 has inched up but still lingers at 78 cents. That’s too bad, because women are the sole bread earners in millions of families and the lack of parity in pay hurts them and their children.

What does Equal Pay Day mean in America? It’s a time for reflecting on why women still less than their male counterparts. In 1963, when President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, women earned 59 Cents for every dollar earned by men. That number in 2013 has inched up but still lingers at 78 cents. That’s too bad, because women are the sole bread earners in millions of families and the lack of parity in pay hurts them and their children. As the House Minority Leader says, “When women succeed, America succeeds.”

The Economic Policy Institute reports that the higher up the economic ladder, the greater the disparity. In 2014 women in the 95th percentile of female earners made 79% of the wages earned by men, while women in the lowest 10th percentile made 91 cents for each $1 earned by men. Not surprising that 2/3 of minimum wage workers are women. What surprised me is that women with college degrees earn 78% of their male counterparts and women with advanced degrees earn 74% of what men make. And in traditionally female occupations, men even make more there! Male registered nurses out-earn female nurses by an average of $5,100 per year. This seems like rank sexism to me, and we could begin to change it with new laws in place.

And yet, in 2010, 2012 and 2014, the leadership in Congress blocked consideration of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which President Obama supported, and NCL and many other groups have campaigned for. That legislation would extend pay-equity rules to federal contractors and update the Equal Pay Act.

Women’s pay equity shouldn’t be a partisan issue. All families, whether Democratic, Republican, Independent or unaffiliated, will benefit when women earn more. This week’s Equal Pay Day is a fine time to raise these issues again – increasing the minimum wage has strong support in red as well as blue states. Equal pay for women should be right behind it.