2009 will be an important year in the Washington Legislature.

Below are WashPIRG's priorities in the 2009 legislative session:

Good Government
•  Make Democracy more accessible by allowing eligible voters to register up to and on Election Day.
•  Protect the fairness and impartiality of the State Supreme Court through public campaign financing.

Transportation
•  Increase affordable and convenient access to public transportation through Transit-Oriented Communities.
•  Create an integrated network of transportation options for Washingtonians.

Home-buyers Bill of Rights
•  Guarantee accountability from developers and builders for poorly made homes.
•  Protect consumers from negligent builders by creating a non-waivable warranty of habitability that reflects the most common construction deficiencies found in Washington state.

Protect Consumers
•  Strengthen Washington state’s lemon laws by extending the mandatory arbitration period to forty two months and creating new title requirements that will be transferable to other states.
•  Protect consumers from outrageous and unfair payday lending practices.

Toxic Free Washington
•  Ban bisphenol A in baby bottles and other consumer products.
•  Ensure the implementation and funding of groundbreaking consumer protection legislation passed in previous years.

Defend Higher Education
•  Protect higher education, part of this state’s economic backbone, from serious funding cuts.
•  Prevent harmful increases in tuition that may prevent or delay low-income residents from attending college.

Safe Medicine Return
•  Create an industry funded, state mandated recovery program for unwanted pharmaceuticals.
•  Ensure that recovered medicines are disposed of in a manner that protects public health and the environment.