Each year, the Student PIRGs host a national lobby day where student leaders from across the country meet with House and Senate offices to advocate for the public interest.
2023 Summary
| On February 27, 2023 more than 40 students from 11 states participated in our federal lobby day at the Capitol in Washington DC, bringing student voices to the halls of power to advocate for concrete solutions on issues including the cost of textbooks, the right to repair, and the plastic pollution crisis. In total, we held over 80 lobby meetings plus meetings with the White House, Department of Education, and House Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
2023 Legislative Priorities
Break Free From Plastic
Nothing we use for a few minutes should threaten our health and pollute our future for hundreds of years. We’re advocating for Congress to pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (BFPPA), which is the most comprehensive bill to address the plastic pollution crisis ever introduced. The BFPPA expands and improves upon an earlier version of the bill utilizing proven solutions to protect impacted communities, reform our broken recycling system, and shift the financial burden of waste management off of municipalities and taxpayers to where it belongs: the producers of plastic waste. LEARN MORE
Right to Repair
We generate way too much waste, and companies use their power in the marketplace to make things harder to repair. That adds costs to consumers and increases the amount going to landfills. We should give every consumer and every small business access to the parts, tools, and service information they need to repair products by passing Right to Repair reforms. We’re advocating for the U.S. Senate to pass the Fair Repair Act to protect consumers like you and me from monopolistic practices! LEARN MORE
Make Textbooks Affordable
The high cost of textbooks and course materials is a significant barrier to student success. One in ten students report skipping meals in order to afford necessary course materials. We’re working to pass the Affordable College Textbook Act (H.R.7040/S.3818) which seeks to reduce the cost of textbooks at U.S. colleges and universities by expanding the use of open textbooks (and other open educational resources) that everyone can use, adapt and share freely. LEARN MORE
Resources and Updates:
How to Run a Student Lobby Day
Here is a step-by-step guide of how you can have a successful lobby day for your student group. From picking your campaign, to scheduling meetings, to effective preparation, to holding the meetings, and doing the essential follow-up! ACCESS THE GUIDE
In February 2022, more than 90 students from 15 key states met virtually with more than 50 congressional offices to support the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.2372/H.R. 2773), which would give state and tribal wildlife agencies the resources they need to effectively protect these critical species and their habitats. PIRG students also held statewide lobby days on issues ranging from climate change to food insecurity to health care affordability and more. READ THE UPDATE