2012 Annual Report

Brian Imus, State Director

From The Director

Dear Illinois PIRG member,

This past year we heard and read about big debates taking place over public budgets and policies in Springfield and Washington, D.C. All the while, the chemical industry, health insurance companies, Wall Street banks and other special interests made sure they were well-represented by hundreds of lobbyists with inside connections and influence.

Despite all that, there was progress for the public interest. Our progress for Illinois families was possible because of our advocates and organizers combining careful research on the issues, reaching out to the media, building coalitions with new allies, and mobilizing the public to call for consumer protection, health care reform, campaign finance reform, and much more.

A new class of megadonor billionaires and corporations gave unprecedented sums to influence the first presidential election since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Our hard-hitting research exposed that big money was overrunning the electoral process and shined a spotlight on megadonors and secret donors. We also helped launch a grassroots movement to pass a Constitutional amendment to protect the principle of “one person, one vote.”

In Springfield, we successfully argued for greater transparency of the state’s economic development subsidies program. Starting next year, taxpayers will now more easily be able to hold companies accountable who fail to deliver on the promise of jobs when they receive a tax subsidy.

We joined our allies in stopping an unnecessary, polluting coal-fired power plant in Illinois—one that would have cost Illinois consumers more than $3 billion to subsidize its construction.

While we faced huge challenges, we also set the stage in Illinois and in Washington, D.C., for real progress on key issues. We made exciting strides to eliminate dangerous toxic chemicals from consumer products, like toxic BPA. In D.C., we built support for bringing an end to wasteful subsidies for junk food ingredients. And we led the fight that stopped student loan interest rates from doubling.

There’s still a long way to go, but with your continued support I’m confident we’ll make even more exciting progress in the coming year. Thank you for being part of the solution.

Sincerely,

Brian Imus, State Director

ON THE COVER: 1)Illinois PIRG Healthcare Advocate Laura Etherton 2) Illinois PIRG Democracy Advocate Blair Bowie 3) Illinois PIRG Consumer & Taxpayer Advocate Celeste Mieffren 4) Illinois PIRG Federal Program Director Mike Russo

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Close Corporate Tax LoopholesThe Budget Debate Brought Corporate Tax Dodging To The Forefront

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In 2012, battles in Springfield and Washington, D.C., over taxes, spending and budgets pushed critical public priorities to face the chopping block. At risk were funding for education, health care, food safety and law enforcement. The budget debates threatened to bring all other work to a standstill, but they also presented us with a prime oppor-tunity to build support for an obvious first step to help fix our budget woes: closing offshore tax loopholes.

Exposing Corporate Tax DodgersMany American corporations and wealthy individuals use complicated accounting tricks to take advantage of loopholes in the tax code, moving their U.S. income to shell companies in tax havens like the Cayman Islands. They pay little or no taxes on those profits, leaving the rest of us to pick up the tab in the form of cuts to public programs, higher taxes, or more debt—costing us an estimated $150 billion every year.

Illinois PIRG research exposed the worst tax dodgers and demonstrated the impact of these tax loopholes on everyday taxpayers. We identified the “Dirty Thirty”—30 highly profitable Fortune 500 companies that in recent years spent more on lobbying Congress than they paid in taxes. Our study and message made waves, as media outlets ranging from CBS News to the Daily Show covered it.

The details of the widespread practice inspired outrage. Over a three-year period, Boeing made $9.7 billion in profits, but paid nothing in federal

taxes. Similarly, Wells Fargo—a bank that was rescued by a taxpayer bailout —also paid nothing in federal taxes, thanks largely to the 58 subsidiaries they operate in offshore tax havens.

Avoiding The Fiscal CliffAs Congress looked to avoid automatic spending cuts, Illinois PIRG along with PIRGs across the country led the charge in proposing that closing corporate tax loopholes should be an obvious first step in relieving the budget crisis.

In February, Illinois PIRG staff de-scended on D.C. to make the case directly to their members of Congress, building support for legislation that

The fighT To close The loopholes — Illinois PIRG Field Director Celeste Meiffren speaks to reporters about the “Picking Up the Tab” report in front of the Boeing Headquarters (top), and meets with Sen. Durbin to discuss corporate taxes in Illinois (bottom).

would close the most egregious tax loopholes. In April, the work paid off when an amendment to crack down on offshore tax manipulation sailed through the Senate with a voice vote. The amendment ended up failing in the House, but the vote proved that senators could be convinced to stand up to tax-dodging corporations.

Illinois PIRG is building on that sup-port in preparation for the next time the tax loophole vote comes up. To hold Congress’s feet to the fire, we’re also expanding the coalition we co-founded that brings together small business, labor, civil rights and religious groups to stand against corporate tax dodgers.

The first presidential election since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision lived up to its hype, with unprecedented spending emerging from new and often untraceable sources at an alarming rate.

Illinois PIRG worked hard to follow this money, publ ishing seven groundbreaking reports that revealed the extent of this campaign spending and highlighted how wealthy donors were effectively drowning out the voices of ordinary citizens. And we brought our findings to the public, in face-to-face conversations and by organizing rallies to join our call to reclaim our democracy.

The Rise Of The Mega-donorsOne of the new developments since the 2010 Citizens United decision was the creation of Super PACs— political action committees that can raise and spend unlimited funds from corporations, unions and individuals, as long as they do not directly coordinate with a candidate or party.

Super PACs have allowed the rise of a new level of campaign donor—the mega-donor—armed with the ability to give unprecedented amounts of money. Our post-election analysis of campaign donors found that the top 32 mega-donors alone gave $313 million to Super PACs at an average of $9.9 million each. In doing so, these billionaires and corporations matched the amount given by all 3.7 million small donors to the Obama and Romney campaigns. In a democracy, the size of your wallet

should not determine the volume of your voice. But when a handful of donors can match the giving of millions of average citizens, our electoral process is severely distorted.

The influence of big donors was not limited to outside groups like Super PACs. Candidate campaigns also became heavily reliant on wealthy donors with the means to give $1,000 or more. In 2012, 63.8 percent of all individual campaign funds for Senate candidates came from just 133,299 people, or roughly .04 percent of the population.

Special Interest Dark MoneyOur research discovered another

disturbing new trend in this election—the pervasive extent of “dark money”campaign spending that cannot be traced back to its original source. Transparency in campaign giving is a cornerstone of our campaign finance process. Without transparency, it’s difficult for citizens to judge the credibility of election messages, allowing special interests, like major corporations, to spend in secretly with no accountability to their customers or shareholders—much less the public who are on the receiving end of their sponsored campaign messages.

Our report, “Elections Confidential,” found that 31 percent of all reported non-candidate, non-party spending was untraceable back to its original source. The problem gets worse when you look at the TV ads that saturated airwaves for months. More than 58 percent of all outside group spending on TV ads in the presidential race was paid for by dark money groups—meaning, we’ll never know who or what was actually behind the spending that overwhelmingly framed what policy discussion we had as a country during election season.

Uniting Real CitizensThe silver lining of 2012’s flood of campaign spending may be that Americans are more outraged about the problem of big money in politics than at any time in recent history. We’re using this opportunity to organize citizens to win reforms that will make good on the promise of a government of, by and for the people.

Reclaiming Our DemocracyBuilding Momentum To Overturn Citizens United

2012 Annual Report

sTanding up To Big Money— Illinois PIRG Program Associate Anu Dathan speaks to a crowd about spending in the 2012 election season.

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The only way to solve the problems raised by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision—short of the unlikely event that the Court reverses its decision—is through a constitutional amendment. Changing the Constitution is a long and difficult process, but one that we’re committed to winning.

We’ve already made significant progress so far. Twelve states and nearly 500 communities have officially gone on the record in favor of amending the Constitution to clarify that spending unlimited money on elections is not a first amendment right and that corporations are entitled to.

Corporations are not people, and spending on elections should not be unequivocally equated to free speech. Partnering with other reform groups, we passed a statewide ballot with 74 percent of the vote. Now, we are working to pass a legislative resolution to have Illinois become the 13th state to support a constitutional amendment.

While we build a movement in favor of a constitutional amendment, we’re working in other ways to minimize the effects of big money and empower ordinary citizens. For example, we’re working to reinstate a federal tax credit that reimburses contributions to candidates up to $50, making it affordable for nearly every American to

support their favorite candidate before Election Day. By encouraging more small donations, we can encourage candidates to focus more of their time on their everyday constituents.

We are also working to create more disclosure and accountability measures for political spenders. We broke records when we flooded the Securities and Exchange Commission with public comments urging them to require corporations to disclose their electoral spending. We’ve also targeted some of the biggest corporate donors by organizing consumers, citizens and shareholders to call on them to refrain from political spending.

spreading The word— Illinois PIRG Federal Democracy Advocate Blaire Bowie speaks at a rally in Daley Plaza to galvanize citizens in support of overturning Citizens United.

EACH GAVE AN AVERAGE

$9.9 MILLIONTO SUPER PACS

Which matches EVERY DOLLAR given by small donors to Romney

and Obama combined

$313 MILLION

A CLOSER LOOK: Big Money in the 2012 elections

3.7 MILLIONSMALL DONORS

BILLIONAIRES &CORPORATIONS32

U.S. PIRG Democracy Report, “Billion-Dollar Democracy: The Unprecedented Role of Money in the 2012 Elections.”

Illinois Public Interest Research Group

Equipping Reform LeadersTo help focus debate on the issues most important to establishing an exchange marketplace, Illinois PIRG Education Fund authored a white paper, ”The Health Insurance Exchange Policy Checklist.” The checklist laid out seven critical recommendations along with supporting analysis intended to provide policymakers with the information needed to establish a consumer-focused exchange in Illinois.

We also hosted a conference, gathering health reform advocates, community leaders and policymakers from across

Rising health care costs continue to squeeze the budgets of families, businesses, and the government. Annual health care costs for an average family hit $20,000 for the first time in 2012. Yet at the same time, experts estimated that a third or more of health care spending doesn’t do any work to achieve better health. To crack down on waste, improve care, and bring down costs for consumers, Illinois PIRG is working to implement health care reform by creating a favorable environment to scrutinize any increase in costs to consumers.

Where Insurers Compete For YouAfter nearly two years of debate by state lawmakers, this summer Gov. Pat Quinn committed to implementing a health insurance exchange in Illinois with a state-federal partnership. That means by October 2013, Illinois families and businesses will have a new tool to compare prices and push for better quality health coverage.

In Illinois, the health insurance marketplace had been broken: Consumers have had few choices, and health insurance premium costs have risen 180 percent since 2005, without a corresponding rise in quality of care.

The announcement to finally implement the exchange within our state came after thousands of Illinoisans called and emailed the governor. In addition to moving forward, the governor has pledged to push for a fully state-based exchange next year.

Making Health Care Work Health Care Reform That Will Lower Costs, Improve Care

the Midwest at Loyola University School of Law. The day-long event provided a forum to share lessons learned and discuss opportunities ahead to build robust health insurance exchange marketplaces for consumers and small businesses. Presenters included the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who highlighted the current national policy landscape, the Small Business Majority, which discussed the important benefits to small business owners, and Health and Human Services Regional Director Kenneth Munson.

lower cosTs, BeTTer care—Illinois PIRG Federal Health Care Policy Analyst Laura Etherton speaks at Loyola University School of Law in Chicago about balancing the power that insurance companies hold in the marketplace with the new health care exchanges.

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Stop Subsidizing Obesity Farm Bill Debate Heats Up, Illinois PIRG Pushes To End Ag Subsidies

In 2012, Congress was poised to re-new a subsidy scheme that would send a billion dollars a year to junk food ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. Illinois PIRG’s campaign staff engaged the grassroots to push back against Cargill, Monsanto, and other agribusiness giants.

The stakes were high—according to our “Apples to Twinkies” report, $18 billion in taxpayer dollars have gone to junk food ingredients since 1995, enough to buy each kid in the US eight and a half two-liter sodas. At a time when one-in-three children in our country is overweight or obese, continuing this practice is absurd. The last time these subsidies were up for reconsideration, Big Ag spent $200 million lobbying to keep the gravy train running. Meanwhile, childhood obesity rates have tripled over the last three decades.

Groundswell of SupportTo raise awareness and build support, Illinois PIRG released “Apples to Twinkies,” a study documenting how federal subsidies for commodity crops are subsidizing junk food additives. Our analysis was covered by TV and print media across the state, and our field director, Hailey Golds, was featured on the Weather Channel speaking about the growing momentum for change. Since 2011, we’ve had over 37,000 conversations with Illinoisans, educating them about the issue and raising up their voices through gathering petitions and postcards calling on Congress to stop the subsidies.

Big Ag tried to build their own “grassroots” support for farm subsidies by arguing that the subsidies benefit small farmers. In reality, an overwhelming three-quarters of subsidy dollars go to less than 4 percent of U.S. farms. To push back against the industry’s misinformation campaign, our organizers fanned out to farmers markets throughout the country to build a coalition of small farmers against subsidies. Over 550 small farmers joined the campaign, sending a powerful message to Congress.

Congress Feels The HeatAs the Farm Bill came up for debate in September, our advocates worked with congressional champions to

sTop suBsidizing Junk food: Illinois PIRG Field Director Hailey Golds and Melissa Fagerstrom of Fairstream Farms speak to the media at Daley Plaza about flaws in current agricultural subsidy policy.

introduce amendments that would end taxpayer subsidies for the largest, most profitable agribusinesses. Rather than taking clear action, Congress deadlocked over renewing the Farm Bill and decided to postpone for a year. Thankfully, as we’ve engaged millions on this issue nationwide, we’re poised to tackle this issue head on in the upcoming year.

Of course, we are continuing to build public support and draw further attention to these wasteful subsidies. But when the Farm Bill comes back up for debate, this is the year when taxpayer giveaways to junk food ingredients could finally become a thing of the past.

Illinois Public Interest Research Group

and other tax-funded programs like the Chicago Infrastructure Trust.

Rewarding Corporate Wrongdoing?A PIRG white paper report exposed a little-known loophole in the justice system that has been rewarding cor-porations for breaking the law: When corporations are sued by the federal government and accept a settlement, they’re typically allowed to treat that settlement as a business expense which they consider a tax write-off. This prac-tice is essentially an invisible subsidy given to corporations for committing acts against the public.

Our fourth annual evaluation of state governments’ budget websites, “Fol-lowing the Money,” continues to set the standard for state budget transparency. This year 48 states worked with us to confirm their rating, and half a dozen governors sent out press releases re-acting to our results. Since we began grading them we’ve seen the number of states displaying checkbook-level data on contracting increase from 32 to 46: posting information about econom-ic development subsidies increase from 28 to 39: and disclosing information about other tax subsidies increase from 8 to 29. Thanks to our establishment of Transparency 2.0 guidelines, citizens across the country can now see more and more about where public resources get allocated.

Holding City Hall AccountableOur investigative research worked to expose a city program that allows the use of tax dollars to subsidize private development projects. Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a program intend-ed to help blighted neighborhoods, lacked adequate oversight and trans-parency, with developers and large profitable companies often receiving large payouts from the program. Our researchers analyzed the records of 21 TIF-funded projects from the last de-cade that were intended to create jobs, and we found that the City of Chicago spent more than $380 million dollars to create more than 32,000 jobs—but less than 17,000 of those jobs were accounted for. Illinois PIRG has used these findings to push for increased accountability and transparency in TIF

Government AccountabilityIllinois PIRG Pushed For Budget Transparency And An End to Wasteful Spending

When the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged BP with crimes related to the Gulf oil spill, we organized thousands to contact the Attorney General and the president, launching a campaign to convince the government that any settlement agreement should forbid BP from writing off their wrongdoing. This fall, when the DOJ announced its $4.5 billion settlement with BP, they included that the oil giant would not be permitted to deduct settlement costs. Before this victory, BP could have tak-en in $1.3 billion in tax benefits. Now, we’re working to convince govern-ment agencies to embed this policy in all future settlements.

aVoiding Bad deals—In 2010, Illinois PIRG volunteers set up in front of City Hall to raise awareness of the need for government transparency. The long-term impact on Chicago taxpayers resulting from the parking meter privatization might have been avoided had city officials been transparent about the plan.

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In 2010, Illinois PIRG helped pass the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Pro-tection Act, which created the Consum-er Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — the only federal agency dedicated to the protection of consumers. The work of our federal lobbying office, which facilitated the creation of the CFPB, was acknowledged by “The Hill,” the congressional newspaper, as one of the year’s 10 biggest lobbying victories.

In 2012, the CFPB hit its stride. The year began with a major victory on Jan. 4, when the president named former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as its first director. With a director, the CFPB could exercise its full authority to protect consumers and regulate the entire financial marketplace, including banks, payday lenders, mortgage com-panies and credit bureaus.

In July, we released a report in honor of the CFPB’s first anniversary, highlight-ing the agency’s consumer victories. We noted 10 major achievements for the bureau, including its announce-ment of full authority over credit bureaus — the reckless gatekeepers of financial and employment opportuni-ty. Shortly after, the CFPB announced its first of three enforcement actions against credit card companies for de-ceiving their customers, which resulted in nearly half a billion dollars in unfair fees being returned to consumers.

Illinois PIRG also released our latest edition of “Big Banks, Bigger Fees,” a report which highlights how banks fail to provide customers with easy access

to information on their fee structure. Fewer than half of all banks surveyed gave fee information to consumers on their first request, as they are required to by law. We urged the CFPB to en-force the Truth in Savings Act to crack down on the unlawful hiding of fees.

Exposing New Risks To ConsumersIllinois PIRG has a long history of fight-ing to reduce the public health risks associated with toxic chemicals found in household products. We helped pass legislation to ban toxic BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups. This victory came after years of lobbying against the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois.

Consumer ProtectionsDefending The CFPB And Protecting Consumers

sTanding up againsT The Big Banks and wall sTreeT— For more than 20 years, Consumer Program Director Ed Mierzwinski has helped us stand up to big banks and credit card companies. Here he is on CNBC’s “Closing Bell” explaining the banking industry’s tactics, which have led to unjustified increases in overdraft fees.

In October, Illinois PIRG released the results of testing baby products for chlorinated Tris, a flame retardant that is linked to negative health effects, including hormone disruption, infer-tility and developmental problems. Children, with their brain and immune systems still developing, are at the greatest risk for harm from this toxin that is a proven mutagen and likely carcinogen. Seven out of 10 products found at popular chains contained the chemical; two had no labeling to indicate its presence. Our advocates are now working to ban these toxic flame retardants in Illinois.

Illinois PIRG SupportersIllinois PIRG & Illinois PIRG Education Fund

Development CommitteeDevelopment Committee members supported the organization with contributions of $1,000 and up.

Howard & Pamela Conant Barbara Fanta Peter Giangreco & Laura Tucker Michael & Nancy Glass Joe Kimmel Douglas H. Phelps David Sensibar

PatronsPatrons supported the organization with contributions between $500 and $999.

Jont Allen • Jean Beck • Sarah Boulos • Neil Briskman • Charles Carpenter & Celeste Prestinario • Kathleen Cheevers • Jerry Connolly • Sheila & Gary Courington • John Cowan • Margaret Credo • Sally

Citizen Support Davis • Sally & Lawrence Domont • Jeannie Evans • Harry Fishman • Lee Francis & Michelle Gittler • Raymond Gabica • Benjamin Gomez • Stella Green • Carrie Hunker • Dana Hurwitz • Alan Keating • Marc & Heidi Kieselstein • Joshua D. Kommer • Fred Kuenstler • Brandon Mckenna • Michael Pensack • Judith Pieper • Jason Pierce • Juanita & Richard Ray • Mary Jo Schuler • Dick & Mary Beth Schumacher • T. J. Scott • Edward Sherman • Mary & Michael Silver • Patrick Smith • Scott Smith • Barney Straus • Sheryl Terril • Sydney Whitley • Patricia Williams • Christopher Willis

PartnersPartners supported the organization with contributions between $250 and $499

Arshya Adeli • Elizabeth Allen • Patrick Allen • Patricia Alm • Phyllis Anderson • Linda Aubert • Susan Auman • Grace Bardsley • Cheryl & David Becker • Lou Bellafiore • Raymond Bennett III & Dominique Raccah • Irene Bergman • Jacuie Berlin • Andrea Billhardt • Constance Blade • Shari Bohnson • Jessica Bouboulis • Gary Boxell • R. Bin Boxsel • Mark Bragen & Irene Hogstrom • Alison Brown • Jane & Pat Buck • John Burns • Terry Burns • Paul Caccia & Carmela Zammuto •

Judith Campbell • Darcia Carberry • Rosemary Carroll • Russel Case • K. G. Ceputis • Ann Cole • Timothy Conley • Jeff Conner • Trisha Connolly • Brenda Darrell • Amy & J. Matthew Davidson • Lloyd & Adren Davidson • Elizabeth Delahunt & Jim Spiegler • Michael Dempsey • Sarah & Stanley Dietzel • Robyn Docherty • Philip Doherty & Julianne Piater • Brian & Cheryl Dowling • Joanne & Robert Dulski • Bartholomew & Pam Eisfelder • Cathy Ellenboger • Christina Epple • Mark Fenton • Penney Fillmer • Sam Fleischanber & Amy Reichert • Brendan & Jean Foley • Richard Foulkes & Rita Rossi-Foulkes • Bernard Friedman • Brenda & Carlos Gallo • Frank J. Galvin III• David & Terry Gatchell • Lori Gattorna • Ted Gault • Michael Gentleman • Sasha Gerritson • Nancy Giampietro • Benedict Gierl & Karla Hayter • Renato Gilberti • Patricia & Ken Gipple • Gillian Goodman • Steve Gordon • Kathleen & Jim Greenfield • Elizabeth Grewenig • Warren Grienenberger • Geoff Guzynski • Dorrance & Lydia Halverson • Kathryn & Edmund J. Hansen • Torrey Hanson • Michal Heifitz-Golden • Howard Hess • Charles Hoffman & Tamara Schiller • Dylan Hoffstatter • Barbara Holbert • Steven Holtz • Maureen Holtz • Debbie Sue & Gary Holzman • Matt Hope • James & Linda Hopkins • Robin

Citizen support is the cornerstone of our work. Thousands of Illinoisians supported Illinois PIRG by making membership contributions in fiscal year 2012. The members listed on the following pages were particularly generous in their support of our work. Names that appear in italic denote members who provide stability to the organization’s resources through Illinois PIRG’s monthly giving program.

Financial Information

Thousands of Illinois PIRG members and supporters fund the staff who conduct research, public education and advocacy on the issues. You provide the clout we need to win real results. Charts reflect FY12 financial information for Illinois State PIRG and Illinois PIRG Education Fund.

Citizens 72%Grants 28%

FY12 Income FY12 Expenses

Program 74%Fundraising 18%Administration 8%

Partners (continued)

Horina • Heather Horita • Dorothy Imm • Valerie Irons • Beth Isaacs • Ellen Isaacson • Susan Jensen • Carol Johnson • Maura Junius • Catherine Kallal & Maurice Lemon • Michael Kaplan • Linda Karn • Richard Katz • Polly Kawalek • Vicky Kearney • Justin Kimes • Ruth Kleinfeldt • Marcel Kloss • Loren Klug & Bridget Farrelly • Karen Knecht • David Landry • Carol J. Larson & James Guzik • John Lazra • Kay Lee • Timothy Legant • Kris & Sheri Lenzo • Cara & Lorry Lichtenstein • Jonathan Lichter • Hilarie Lieb & Morris Goldman • April Lindaur • John Links • Peggy Lipschutz • Pamela Locke • Sandra Locke • Patrick Logan • Robert Love • Regan Macarthur • Ellen Macentee • Frances Magierek • Faith Manning • John Mariani • Karen Martin & Jean Walbridge • Richard E Martin • Ana & Roberto Martinez • Beth Masterson • Jean-Philip Mathy • Wade Mayer • Michael Mayers • Timothy & Catherine McGinness • Meg & John Mcguinness • Michele Mckay • Cheryl McKinley • Bozena McLees • Susie & Bruce McNulty • Andera & Michael Mercuri • Travis Meyer • Tim Micheau • Linda & Judson Miner • Mary Moderi • Michelle Montroy •

Fred & Wilma Smith • Eileen Soderstrom • Andrew Sonnenberger • Aubrey Spight • Eva Steinberg • Roma & Brian Steinke • Edwin Steinmetz • Tom Stormoen • Laura Stran • Martha & Timothy Stutzman • Michael Surratt • Gary Swanson • Dennis Talley • David Tennant • Jennifer & Trevor Tomkins • Marilyn Tracy • Patricia Tullman • Thomas Turino • Armond & Tuzel • Sandra Verdooren • Michael & Diane Vojtas • Denis Vulich • Sarah & Jeff Wagner • Floyd Walker • Robert Wasner • Ben Weese • Miegan Wegrzyn • Tim Weiland • Glen Weiss • Mary Jane Welter • Bob & Jane Wharton • Elijah & Diana Wilde • Gary Willer • Cynthia Williams & Thomas Kamm • Roger & Eileen Wolf • William & Wanda Woolf • Janet & Michael Wyman • Teri & George Zima • Judy & Judith Zimmerman • Susan Zorns

Photos: All photos taken by our staff unless noted here. Page(5) Straignt Talk News; Page(8) CNBC News

Design by Public Interest GRFX (215) 985-1113; printed on recycled paper.

Susan Mullen • Ronald Multon • Julio Neira • Dennis Newport • Zulzani Noordin • Angela Normoyle • Greg Nowroski • Tom O’Brien • Patricia O’Donnell • Craig & Leslie Olesen • Leslie Parsons • Kathleen S. Pavkov • Linda & Gary Pavlo • Louise Pearson • Deborah Peltz • Claudia Perry • Stephen Peters • Susan Petzel • John Phillabaum • Joan Polachek & Jonah Orlofsky • Antoinette Pomata • Susan Poole • Michael Popowits • Debra J. Potter • Margaret Power • Sahalee & Bradley Price • Gail Prins & Robert Vogelzang • Alison Prioleau • Clint Pross • Gary Quinones • Thomas Jefferson Ramsdell • Rick & Betty Redfield • Anne Regnery • James Reynolds & James Ross • John Rissman • Jesse & Wendy Roberts • Rebecca Roberts • Alan Robertson • Edgardo Rodriguez • Vicki & Tom Rosenbluth • Janice Rose-Valadez • Don & Jennifer Ross • Greg Rothman • Mary Schacht • Gabriel Schechier • Walter Schiller • Jennifer & Lionel Schlicht • Abby Schmelling • Scott Schreiber • Michael Schuette • Robin Sealander • Joanne Sekulic & Mike Seknlic • Tricia & Matt Sheehan • Mark & Nikki Shields • Nailah & Teepu Siddique • Caroline Simpson • Nancy Sinclair • Sinclair Siragusa • Kori & David Skidmore • Deb Slaton & Harry Hunderman •

Stop Subsidizing Obesity 56%Reining In The Cost of Health Care 18% Reclaiming our Democracy 13% 21st Century Transportation 7%Close Corporate Tax Loopholes and Other 1%

FY12 Program Expenses

Foundation Support

Illinois PIRG Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, conducts research and public education on emerging public interest issues. Contributions to Illinois PIRG Education Fund are tax-deductible. In Fiscal Year 2012, Illinois PIRG Education Fund received grant awards and contributions from:

• Chicago Community Trust• Community Catalyst• The Ford Foundation• Lloyd A. Fry Foundation• RE-AMP Global Warming Strategic Action Fund• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation• Sally Mead Hands Foundation• State Alliance for Federal Reform of Chemical Policy (SAFER)

Illinois PIRG and Illinois PIRG Education Fund gratefully accept bequests, beneficiary designations of IRAs and life insurance, and gifts of securities to support our work for consumers and toward a healthy democracy in our state.

For more information, call 1-800-841-7299 or send an email to: plannedgiving@IllinoisPIRG.org.

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IllinoisPIRG Staff (partial list)

Ed MierzwinskiFederal Consumer Program Director

Mike RussoFederal Program Director

2012 Annual Report

Blair Bowie Federal DemocracyAdvocate

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Illinois PIRGIllinois Public Interest Research Group 328 S. Jefferson St.,Ste 620 Chicago IL 60661(312) 544-4433

Address Service Requested

Brian ImusState Director

Hailey GoldsField Director

Anu DathanProgram Associate