Starting this year, changes to California's "lemon law" will make it harder for consumers to get a refund or a replacement vehicle.

The changes mean instead of just taking the car to the dealer for repairs, you're now going to have to formally notify the manufacturer via email or certified mail and include your name, the vehicle ID number, a summary of the problems and a demand for a refund or replacement.

Rosemary Shahan, president of the nonprofit Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, said if you do not take the step, you forgo lemon-law protections.

"They're going to feel like they can ignore you and refuse to fix the problem," Shahan contended. "Or just do a real, cheap, temporary Band-Aid kind of fix until the warranty expires, and then they'll tell you how much they want you to pay for the repair out of your own pocket."

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he signed Assembly Bill 1755 reluctantly in order to cut down on lemon law lawsuits clogging the courts. Shahan noted lawmakers agreed to the changes only after General Motors and Ford threatened to support a ballot initiative capping attorneys fees in consumer lawsuits, something vigorously opposed by consumer attorneys, who are big political contributors.

The governor did negotiate a new bill, soon to be introduced, to allow manufacturers to opt in or out of the new program. Supporters of the changes, including General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, are expected to opt-in, while opponents such as Honda, Toyota and Tesla may decide to uphold the old protections.

Shahan noted the new lemon law said consumers who have negative equity, meaning they owe more on the lemon car than it is worth, can be forced to come up with the difference before the manufacturer will buy it back.

"The manufacturers will say, 'Oh, we'd be happy to buy back your lemon but first you have to come up with whatever the negative equity is before you can give us clear title to the car,'" Shahan asserted. "Most people can't afford to pay out of pocket, so they're going to be stuck with a lemon car."

The new lemon law also rescinds protections after six years, making longer warranties unenforceable, and consumers will now have only one year to file a claim, down from four.

For now, Minnesota officials say panic has eased over federal funding for a program helping low-income households with their energy bills but there is still concern about long-term budget moves.

The state said last Thursday, it received its last remaining share of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program grants for the current fiscal year, which means Minnesotans still needing help catching up on heating costs from this past winter will not be left behind. States were kept waiting on funds after the Trump administration laid off the entire staff in charge of sending the money out.

Lissa Pawlisch, assistant commissioner of federal and state initiatives for the Minnesota Department of Commerce, said they are relieved, noting the long-standing program is a lifesaver.

"This is something that helps support your neighbor, your grandmother," Pawlisch pointed out. "It is what is needed to make sure that every Minnesotan has a warm and safe environment for their children, for elderly, for folks with disabilities."

The state had warned it was dangerously close to exhausting funds. For the next federal fiscal year, President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating LIHEAP. However, Congress will have a say on the program's future, as it enjoys bipartisan support. The White House said state utility disconnection laws make LIHEAP unnecessary but advocates countered such protections are temporary and energy bills still need to be paid.

The Trump administration pointed to a 15-year-old Government Accountability Office report on LIHEAP which identified potential cases of fraud. However, state directors said reforms have helped strengthen the program's integrity. Pawlisch added the federal aid gets sent to utilities on behalf of customers in need, preventing people from exploiting the service.

"We don't want to see any waste, fraud or abuse in these programs," Pawlisch emphasized. "We want to make sure that those dollars are helping the people who really need them."

The department said so far this year, Minnesota's Energy Assistance program has helped more than 116,000 households. Demand is higher in rural counties, especially in the northern half of the state.

Officials said aid does not just go toward energy bills. Participants can also tap into it for filling up propane tanks or to cover emergency repairs for furnaces.


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Congress has overturned legislation which would have limited bank overdraft fees before the measure could go into effect.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Texans have filed almost 3,000 complaints about overdraft fees. The rule would have capped fees at $5 or limited them to cover costs and losses.

Ann Baddour, director of the Fair Financial Services Project for the advocacy group Texas Appleseed, said the $35 to $40 fee can negatively affect someone who might already be struggling financially.

"To have these mounting charges for often relatively small amounts of money that people are over drafting, it can be a real burden, particularly on families who are struggling or people living paycheck to paycheck. "

She pointed out low-income people are hurt most by bank fees. The overdraft rule was set to go into effect Oct. 1.

The bureau said the nation's biggest banks take in roughly $8 billion in charges and fees every year. Complaints from Texans increased by more than 130% from 2023 to 2024.

Kimberly Fountain, field manager at Americans for Financial Reform, said the rule would have saved Americans $5 billion annually.

"Most debit card overdrafts are less than $26, far below the typical fee and are repaid within three days resulting in the equivalent of a 16,000 percentage rate loan," Fountain emphasized. "Often for transactions consumers would rather have been denied. "

Republicans argued the rule would have forced banks to stop offering overdraft protection altogether making it harder for Americans to access credit. Baddour and Franklin added people in support of overdraft fee reform can still contact lawmakers.

Scam text messages impersonating the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and toll authorities are on the rise, despite the fact Wisconsin does not have toll roads.

The texts claim you have unpaid tolls and threaten extra fees and fines if not paid promptly. They include links to pay the fees and can also list a phone number to call.

Courtney Anclam, senior program specialist for AARP Wisconsin, said she's received about 10 of the texts in the past month. She noted they originally appeared to be from numbers in states like Connecticut or New York but are now mimicking the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles, showing an increased level of sophistication.

"They're harvesting credit card information and then using your credit card to go buy whatever other things they want," Anclam explained. "It's really important to not click on any of the links, don't call any of the phone numbers. Doesn't matter how official it looks."

Anclam added even though Wisconsin does not have toll roads, neighboring states like Illinois do. Anyone with concerns about being scammed can reach out to the Wisconsin DMV or Illinois toll services directly.

Anclam recently started including toll text scams in her outreach presentations across the state, pointing out most people in the audience have received them. She added while most of them delete, ignore, or mark the messages as spam, they often don't report them to official agencies like the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

"There might not be a huge number indicating that we've gotten thousands of reports," Anclam acknowledged. "But we know that thousands of these text messages are being sent because people are telling us, I got two of these, I got five of these, whatever it may be."

Anclam stressed the need to continue discussing the scams to raise awareness, saying they have grown more believable and intimidating.

"I think there's a common misconception that older people are more likely to be the victim of a scam, which is not true when we look at data from the Federal Trade Commission," Anclam observed. "Actually, younger people are reporting losing money to fraud more often than older people."

DATCP said they are receiving many more inquiries and complaints about scam text messages and encouraged anyone who receives one to report it.