Legislative Testimony

Throughout the legislative session, the Economic Progress Institute tracks the budget and other bills being considered by the Rhode Island General Assembly affecting the economic well-being of low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders. We present policy information and data-based testimony to committees in the General Assembly.

2023 Testimony

Testimony in Support of an Act Relating to Insurance – Individual Health Insurance Coverage: S23
Senate Health and Human Services Committee: 3/23/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports S23, which codifies the basic consumer protections that are part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by maintaining the current prohibition on pre-existing condition exclusions

Testimony in Support of Bill Relating to Payday Lending: HB5331
House Committee on corporations: 3/21/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Lombardi’s bill HB5331, which would eliminate the harms of deferred deposit transactions that drive the predatory payday loan industry in Rhode Island.

Testimony in Support of Bill Relating to Payday Lending: HB5160
House Committee on Corporations: 3/21/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Alzate’s bill HB5160, which would eliminate the harms of deferred deposit transactions that drive the predatory payday loan industry in Rhode Island.

Testimony in Support of requiring the Department of Corrections to collect additional data: SB373
Senate Committee on Judiciary: 3/21/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Senator Acosta’s SB373 to require the Department of Corrections to collect additional data from those individuals entering its custody. To understand whether policy and program proposals and changes are likely to increase or decrease disparities, it is critical to have adequate data.

Testimony in Support of limiting the monthly cost of specialty drugs: HB5350 ans HB5554
House Committee on Health and Human Services: 3/21/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports HB5350, which limits the monthly cost of specialty drugs, and HB5554 which limits the monthly cost of asthma inhalers – which can be life-saving medication.

Testimony in Support of Act Relating to Towns and Cities – Zoning Ordinances: HB6084
House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing: 3/16/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports H6084, an act to create a transit-oriented development pilot program to encourage residential housing near convenient public transportation.

Testimony Relating to Rental Application Fees: HB6087
House Committee on Municipal Government & Housing: 3/16/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports the intent behind Representative Cruz’s HB6087 to “eliminate the rental application fee,” as the March 2, 2023 press release from the Office of the Speaker characterized the proposal.

Testimony in support of relating to concerning nondisclosure and non-disparagement clauses: HB5929
House Committee on Labor: 3/15/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Tanzi’s HB5929 which would prohibit employers from requiring employees, as a condition of employment, to agree to nondisclosure and non-disparagement requirements in regard to possible civil rights violations.

Testimony in support of Relating to Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprises: HB5748
House Committee on Labor: 3/15/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Giraldo’s HB5748 which would increase the percentage of dollars reserved for minority-owned and women-owned businesses in state procurement and construction contracts.

Testimony in support of increasing paid leave: HB5447
House Committee on Labor: 3/15/2023
The Economic Policy Institute supports Representative Diaz’s HB5447 which aims to makes Temporary Disability Insurance and Temporary Caregiver Insurance accessible to all Rhode Islanders. Rhode Island was one of the nation’s leaders in passing a paid family leave program in 2013. Now a decade later, the program lags behind those in other states, including our neighbors in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and leaves many Rhode Islanders unable to make use of these important benefits.

Testimony in supoprt of Equity Impact Statements: HB5763
House Committee on State Government and Elections 3/14/2023
The Economic Progress Institute strongly supports Representative Kislak’s bill, H5763, which would require an equity impact statement for each piece of legislation, describing the way in which the legislation will or will not impact populations differently based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin.

Testimony in support of reducing fees associated with driver's privilege cards: HB5780
House Committee on Judiciary 3/9/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Alzate’s HB5780, which would reduce the fees associated with the driver’s privilege cards. Under the current rules, undocumented Rhode Islander’s pay $50 for a driver’s privilege card and then $30 every 5 years to renew their cards, if they are under 75 years old. Reducing the cost of the driver’s privilege cards would allow more people to apply for and benefit from this new resource.

Testimony in Support of the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act: HB5749
House Committee on Municipal Government & Housing 3/7/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Speakman’s HB5749, the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act. Given the lack of affordable housing in Rhode Island and the much greater need for it, we should seek out reasonable opportunities to increase the state’s affordable housing supply.

Testimony in Support of An Act Relating to Elections – Conduct of Election and Voting Equipment and Supplies (repeals the state voter identification law): SB364
Senate Judiciary Committee 3/7/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports SB364, an act to repeal the state voter identification law. The current voter identification law is one of the strictest in the United States; it disenfranchises Rhode Islanders, disproportionately affects low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities, and aims to solve a “problem” (in-person voter fraud) that does not, in fact, exist.

Testimony in Support of establishing a committee eithin Rhode Island Housing Resources Commission to provide recommendations for homeless shelter standards: HB5120
House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing 3/7/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Lombardi’s HB5120, which would establish a committee within the Rhode Island Housing Resources Commission to provide recommendations for homeless shelter standards. This committee will be comprised of individuals with lived experience, advocates, and providers.

Testimony in Support of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act: HB5006
House Judiciary Committee 3/6/2023
The Economic Progress Institute is a nonpartisan research and policy organization that
advocates for the economic well-being of low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders. Access to
abortion is an economic, racial, and healthcare justice issue.

Testimony Relating to rent increases: HB5362 and HB5691
House Committee on Judiciary 3/2/2023
The Economic Policy Institute supports Representative Stewart’s HB5362 and HB5691, a pair of bills that would protect tenants, particularly low-income tenants, against unmanageable rent increases.

Testimony Relating to Extending the Sunset Dates of Tax Incentive Programs for Economic Development: HB5200 Budget Article 7
Senate Committee on Finance 3/2/2023
Sunset dates are critical elements of tax incentive programs for economic development – and they are of greatest value when used for oversight of such programs. The sunset dates are put in place so that members of the General Assembly have the opportunity to exercise their responsibility to oversee the programs.

Testimony in Support of Increasing the Diversity of Rhode Island’s Teaching Workforce: HB542`
House Committee on Education 2/1/2023
The Economic Policy Institute supports Representative Giraldo’s HB5421 which would create a committee and require a report aimed at increasing the diversity of Rhode Island’s teaching workforce. The education of our children is critical for the long-term health of the state’s workforce and economy.

Testimony Relating to Support of standardizing the quality rating system for early care and early education: HB5339
House Committee on Education 2/1/2023
The Economic Policy Institute supports Representative Donovan’s HB5339 which would standardize the quality rating system for early care and education.

Testimony Relating to Creating a New Personal Income Tax on the Top One Percent: SB232
Senate Committee on Finance
The Economic Progress Institute supports Senator Murray’s SB232 to create a new 3% surtax for income above the top 1% of income. This would impact approximately 5,000 taxpayers, those with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) above $557,000.

Testimony Relating to Increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit: SB80
Senate Committee on Finance
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a common-sense tax break that reduces the income tax owed by lower-wage working families, allowing them to contribute more to vibrant local economies. The Economic Progress Institute supports Senator Felag’s SB80 to raise the state credit from 15% to 16% of the federal one. Rhode Island’s EITC was last increased seven years ago.

Testimony Realting to Proposals to Tax Capital Gains and Other Wealth: SB233
Senate Committee on Finance
The Economic Progress Institute supports three proposals contained in Senator Kallman’s SB233 omnibus legislation that seeks to take important steps to rectify an imbalance in the way wages and salary income are taxed at higher rates than income from investments.

Testimony Relating to Make Improvements to the Temporary Caregiver’s Insurance (TCI) Program: SB139
Senate Labor Committee
The Economic Progress Institute writes in support of Senator Lawson’s bill (S-139) to make improvements to the Temporary Caregiver’s Insurance (TCI) program. One of only 11 state-based paid leave programs, TCI provides up to six weeks of partial (about 60%) wage replacement for workers who need to take time from their jobs to care for a new child or seriously ill family member.

Testimony Relating to Creating a Secure Choice State Retirement Plan Program: HB5417
House Committee on Corporations 2/28/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Shanley’s HB5417 to create Secure Choice, retirement plan option for the many tens of thousands of working Rhode Islanders who do not have access to employer-sponsored plans.

Testimony Relating to Minority-Owned Businesses and Women-Owned Business Enterprises: HB5200 Budget Article 3 Section 7 Article 8 Section 1
Senate Committee on Finance 2/16/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports the Governor’s FY2024 budget proposals in Article 3 Section 7 and Article 8 Section 1 to increase the percentage of dollars reserved for minority-owned and women-owned business in state procurement and construction contracts.

Testimony Relating to Extending the Sunset Dates of Tax Incentive Programs for Economic Development: HB5200 Budget Article 7
House Committee on Finance 2/16/2023
The sunset dates are put in place so that members of the General Assembly have the opportunity to exercise their responsibility to oversee the programs: to continue those that are generating economic activity; to improve those that could be doing a better job of achieving their goals; and to close those that are performing poorly and not providing a good return on investment for Rhode Islanders.

Testimony Relating to the Sales Tax: HB5200 Budget Article 4 Section 2
House Committee on Finance 2/15/2023
The Economic Progress Institute opposes the budget proposal to reduce the state sales tax from 7% to 6.85% as well as proposals to reduce the state sales tax to 6% or to 5%. The available data indicate that these proposals will disproportionately benefit the most well-off Rhode Islanders and thereby not increase equity in the state.

Testimony on HB5200 (Relating to the Motor Fuel Tax)
2/8/2023
The Economic Progress Institute opposes the budget proposal to suspend for two years the three-cent increase in the state’s motor fuel tax, at an estimated cost of $24.6 million in lost revenue. The main reason for our opposition is that there is no guarantee that this tax cut would be passed on to consumers. This is because the motor fuel tax is collected from the distributor and not from consumers at the pump, and the data show that gas tax changes are not reliably passed through to consumers.

Testimony on HB5200 (Relating to the Sales Tax)
2/7/2023
The Economic Progress Institute opposes the budget proposal to reduce the state sales tax from 7% to 6.85% as well as SB92 to reduce the state sales tax to 6% and SB76 to reduce the sales tax to 5%. The main reason for our opposition is that data indicate that these proposals will disproportionately benefit the most well-off Rhode Islanders and thereby not increase equity in the state.

Testimony on HB5217 (Relating to Department of Corrections Data)
2/8/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Diaz’s HB5217 to require the Department of Corrections to collect additional data from those individuals entering its custody. To understand whether policy and program proposals and changes are likely to increase or decrease disparities, it is critical to have adequate data.

Testimony on HB5200 (Relating to the Rainy Day Fund)
1/31/2023
The Economic Progress Institute supports the Governor’s budget proposal to create a supplemental “rainy day” fund account. Currently limited to 5% of the state’s General Revenue fund, Rhode Island’s cash stabilization or budget reserve account is much smaller than those of the majority of states, 29 of which are at 10% or higher. The other five New England states are all at least 12%, over twice Rhode Island’s capped fund.

Testimony on HB5200 (Relating to the Motor Fuel Tax)
1/31/2023
The Economic Progress Institute opposes the budget proposal to suspend for two years the three-cent increase in the state’s motor fuel tax, at an estimated cost of $24.6 million in lost revenue. The main reason for our opposition is that there is no guarantee that this tax cut would be passed on to consumers. This is because the motor fuel tax is collected from the distributor and not from consumers at the pump, and the data show that gas tax changes are not reliably passed through to consumers.

2022 Legislative Testimony

Testimony on H-7283 (RI Early Educator Investment Act) 5/31/2022
The Institute, a steering committee member of the Right from the Start Campaign, strongly supports Representative Cortvriend’s bill H-7283, the “Rhode Island Early Educator Investment Act”, which directs the RI Children’s Cabinet to establish a target wage scale for early educators and to identify strategies for increasing compensation in child care, Early Intervention, RI Pre-K, and family home visiting. The bill also creates an early educator registry and invests $5 million to pilot a child care educator wage supplement.

Testimony on S-2062 (Earned Income Tax Credit) 5/19/2022
The Institute supports Senator Felag’s S2062 to raise the state credit from 15% to 18% of the federal one. Rhode Island’s EITC was last increased six years ago.

Testimony on H-7985 (Tax Credit for Economic Development) 5/17/2022
The Institute supports Representative Potter’s House Bill 7985 and her proposal to require companies benefitting from Rhode Island’s tax credit for economic development programs to pay their
construction workers according to prevailing industry wages.

Testimony on H-7440 (Tax Fairness) 5/17/2022
The Institute supports s Representative Alzate’s bill H7440 to create a new tax bracket for Rhode Island taxpayers in the top 1%. This would impact only approximately 5,000 taxpayers, those with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) above $500,000.

Testimony on S-2264 (Tax Fairness) 5/10/2022
The Institute supports s Senator Murray’s bill S-2264 to create a new tax bracket for Rhode Island taxpayers in the top 1%. This would impact only approximately 5,000 taxpayers, those with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) above $500,000.

Testimony on H-7866 (Estate Tax) 5/5/2022
The Institute opposes House Bill 7866 which would eliminate Rhode Island’s already narrow Estate Tax, depriving the Treasury of much-needed revenues, while making our current inequitable tax structure even more inequitable.

Testimony on H-7534 (Payday Lending) 5/5/2022
The Institute supports Representative Barros’ bill which would eliminate the harms of deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island.

Testimony on H-7865 (Capital Gains and Wealth) 5/3/2022
The Institute supports three proposals contained in Representative Ajello’s H7865 omnibus legislation which would:
• Add a 2% state tax surcharge on higher amounts of capital gains.
• Add a surcharge on fees paid to financial managers, to compensate for the (mis)classification of this income – basically payment for services rendered – as capital gains investment income instead of as normal wage or salary income.
• Add a property tax on second homes, ones not occupied by the owners as a primary
residence.

Testimony on H-7660 (Tax Exemptions) 5/3/2022
The Institute opposes H7128 which would create a sales tax holiday in mid-August, eroding state revenues needed for the critical investments used to build thriving
communities and a strong, vibrant economy. Despite the obvious appeal, sales tax holidays are
not good public policy
for personal income taxes.

Testimony on H-7128 (Sales Tax Holiday) 5/3/2022
The Institute opposes H-7128 which would increase from $15,000 to $50,000 the amount of pension, annuity, and social security income that would be exempt from
personal income taxes.

Testimony on H-7494 (Earned Income Tax Credit) 5/3/2022
The Institute supports Representative O’Brien’s H7494 to raise the state credit from 15% to 50% of the federal one. Rhode Island’s EITC was last increased six
years ago.

Testimony on H7380, H7647, and H7382 (Tax Exemptions) 4/28/2022
The Institute believes that the proposals in H7380, H7647, and H7382 to exempt certain military income from normal taxation make for poor tax policy. Tax rates ought to be based upon ability to pay not on personal status.

Testimony on H-7444 (Temporary Caregiver Insurance) 4/13/2022
The Institute writes in support of Representative Cassar’s bill H-7444 which would improve the Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) program by better meeting all caregiving responsibilities and the needs of all workers, especially those with lower incomes.

Testimony on H-7794 (TDI/TCI Employer Contributions) 4/13/2022
The Institute writes in support of Representative Giraldo’s bill H-7794 which would introduce economic equality into these programs by requiring employers to contribute to the TDI/TCI fund at an equal amount to their workers’ contributions.

Testimony on S-2760 (Motion Picture Tax Credit) 4/12/2022
The Institute opposes S2760, which would increase the amount of motion picture production tax credits available and also remove the program’s sunset date. We ask this committee to reject increasing the cap on a program that loses revenue for every dollar invested.

Testimony on H-7122 (Housing ARPA) 4/7/2022
The Institute writes in support of H-7123, Article 1 Section 16 appropriating $250M for affordable housing over the lifetime of the ARPA funds. However, we urge the Committee to increase the amount of ARPA funds devoted to affordable housing and to ensure that equity guides the investment of these funds.

Testimony on H-7717 (FMLA) 4/7/2022
The Institute writes in support of Representative Giraldo’s bill H-7717 which aims to update Rhode Island’s Parent and Family Medical Leave (PFML). The bill will ensure that a worker would be eligible to take 26 months of leave (state) in the first year and 12 months of federal leave in the 2nd year.

Testimony on H-7736 (Equity Impact Statements) 4/6/2022
The Institute strongly supports Representative Cassar’s bill H7736 which would require that a race, ethnicity, gender, and disability equity impact statement accompany most proposed legislation.

Testimony on Governor’s FY 2023, FY 2022 Revised and Capital Budgets, RIDE Budget (Adult Education) 3/31/2022
The Institute urges the Committee to review the funding that is currently appropriated by RIDE for this system and to make additional state investments of general revenue and ARPA funds to ensure that the Adult Education system can meet the needs of Rhode Islanders and employers.

Testimony on S-2681 (Child Care is Essential Act) 3/30/2022
The Institute, a member of the Right from the Start Steering Committee, writes in strong support of Chair Cano’s bill, The Child Care is Essential bill, S-2681. This bill has six important pieces as described in the Right from the Start Fact Sheet. EPI’s testimony focuses on three key parts related to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), although all are important: 1) increasing tiered quality rates for CCAP, 2) raising the family income limits to quality for CCAP and 3) eliminating the child support enforcement requirement for participation in CCAP.

Testimony on S-2245 (Temporary Caregiver Insurance) 3/30/2022
The Institute writes in support of Senator Lawson’s bill (S-2245) to make improvements to the Temporary Caregiver’s Insurance (TCI) program but urge the Committee to go even further and support a progressive wage replacement for low-wage workers..

Testimony on S-2235 (Rhode Island Early Educator Investment Act) 3/30/2022
The Institute, a steering committee member of the Right from the Start Campaign, strongly supports Senator Cano’s bill, the “Rhode Island Early Educator Investment Act”, which directs the RI Children’s Cabinet to establish a target wage scale for early educators and to identify strategies for increasing compensation in child care, Early Intervention, RI Pre-K and family home visiting. The bill also creates an early educator registry and invests $5 million to pilot a child care educator wage supplement.

Testimony on Governor’s FY 2023, FY 2022 Revised and Capital Budgets, Department of Labor and Training (Temporary Disability Insurance) 3/30/2022
The Institute writes in support of the use of $19.4 million of the proposed FY2022 surplus to go to the Information Technology Investment Fund (ITIF) to replace the Department of Labor and Training’s legacy mainframe with modern systems for the Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program.

Testimony on H-7789 (RI Works) 3/29/2022
Institute supports H-7789 sponsored by Representative Art Handy. We thank Representative Handy and this Committee for your leadership last year in enacting an increase in the RI Works benefit for the first time in 30 years. That was an important step in improving economic well-being for families relying on the RI Works program. This year, we hope you will again enact changes that will lift children out of deep poverty by further increasing the benefit and keep children out of deep poverty by indexing the benefit to inflation.

Testimony on S-2166 (Payday Lending) 3/24/2022
The Institute supports Senator Quezada’s bill which would eliminate the harms of deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island.

Testimony on S-2187 and Article 12, Sections 7 and 8 (Providing RIte Care Coverage to Children who are Undocumented) 3/22/2022
The Institute supports Senator Cano’s bill along with the Governor’s budget proposal, to use general revenue funds to provide RIte Care coverage for children who are undocumented.

Testimony on H-7593 (Cannabis Legalization) 3/22/2022
The Institute believes that if cannabis is legalized for adult recreational use, it ought to contain clear provisions advancing equity, including equitable access to the new market, particularly for individuals harmed by the war on drugs and the decades-long criminalization of cannabis. In this regard, H7593 falls short of what such legislation must contain.

Testimony on H-7765 (Minimum Wage) 3/16/2022
The Institute supports Representative Henries’ bill H7765 which would place Rhode Island on a path to a $19/hour minimum wage.

Testimony on H-7666 (Minimum Wage) 3/16/2022
The Protect Our HealthCare Coalition supports House Bills 7666 because it will improve affordability for Rhode Islanders battling rare or life-threatening disease whose well-being is dependent on specialty drugs.

Testimony on H-7348 (Tipped Minimum Wage) 3/15/2022
The Institute supports Representative Felix’s bill H7348 to raise and phase out the tipped minimum wage.

Testimony on S-2371 (Medical Marijuana Industry) 3/15/2022
The Institute opposes Senate Bill 2371 which would make it more difficult for individuals harmed by the decades-long criminalization of cannabis to take part in the legal medical marijuana market.

Testimony on S-2430 (Cannabis Legalization 3/15/2022
The Institute believes that if cannabis is legalized for adult recreational use, it ought to contain clear provisions advancing equity, including equitable access to the new market, particularly for individuals harmed by the war on drugs and the decades-long criminalization of cannabis. In this regard, S2430 falls short of what such legislation must contain.

Testimony on H-7123 (Affordable Housing) 3/9/2022
The Institute supports H-7123 and Article 1 Section 16 of the Governor’s proposed budget which appropriates $250M for affordable housing over the lifetime of the ARPA funds. However, we urge the Committee to both increase the amount of ARPA funds devoted to affordable housing and to ensure that equity guides the investment of these funds. Click here for testimony from the Protect Our Health Coalition in support of Article 1 Section 16 of the Governor’s proposed budget.

Testimony on H-7500 and H-7560 (Safeguard ACA Protections) 3/9/2022
The Protect Our HealthCare Coalition supports House Bills 7500 and 7560 and thanks Representatives Cassar and Speakman for their ongoing commitment to safeguard the ACA’s health insurance consumer rights and protections in Rhode Island state law.

Testimony on HB7385 and HB7123 Budget Article 1 Section 16 (Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund) 3/1/2022
The Institute believes that there are better investments to be made by the state besides replenishing RI’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Replenishing the funds would not be a targeted and strategic investment in Rhode Islanders and Rhode Island businesses, but rather a future tax cut that will mostly benefit the largest employers.

Testimony on Article 6 (Military Pensions) 2/15/2022
The Institute believes that the proposals, in Budget Article 6 of the Governor’s proposed budget, to make income from military pensions non-taxable, is bad tax policy. Click here to read the house testimony on the budget article.

Testimony on Article 9 (Sunset Dates) 2/16/2022
Sections 2 through 14 of Article 9 of HB7123, the Governor’s proposed budget, would extend the sunset dates of various tax incentive programs for economic development, from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2023. If these extensions merely keep programs going without proper evaluation and oversight, then the Institute (EPI) would oppose the extensions. If, however, the one-year extensions are embraced as an opportunity for the General Assembly to assess these programs and determine which ones should continue and which ones should not, then EPI would support the extensions.

Testimony on S-2371 (Let RI Vote Act and Same Day Registration) 2/15/2022
The Institute strongly supports passage of S-2216, The “Let RI Vote Act” sponsored by Senator Euer and S-2216, Senator DiMario’s ‘Same-Day Registration’ resolution. Both proposals will improve Rhode Islanders’ access to voting.

Testimony on S-2371 (Court Fines and Fees) 2/10/2022
The Institute supports Representative Knight’s HB7084, HB7141, and HB7192 which would strengthen protections for individuals who cannot afford to pay court fines and fees and serve as a step in ending the criminalization of poverty

Testimony on H-7183 (Safeguard ACA Protections) 2/3/2022
The Protect Our HealthCare Coalition strongly supports House Bill 7183 and thanks Representative Kislak and her co-sponsors for bringing it forward again this year. This bill aligns Rhode Island law with the Affordable Care Act protection that assures that people will not suddenly lose health coverage if they have a particularly expensive health event.

2021 Legislative Testimony

Testimony on House Bill 5686 (Payday Lending) 5/25/2021
The Institute supports Representative Barros’s bill , which would eliminate the harms of deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island.

Testimony on Senate Bill 453 (Payday Lending) 5/20/2021
The Institute supports Senator Quezada’s bill, which would eliminate the harms of deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island.

Testimony on House Bills 5215 and 6072 (Estate Tax) 5/6/2021
The Institute opposes House Bills 5215 and 6072 which aim to erode Rhode Island’s already narrow Estate Tax, resulting in the loss of tens of millions of dollars in much-needed revenue.

Testimony on House Bill 5013 (EITC) 5/6/2021
The Institute supports Representative Slater’s bill (H5013), which would raise the state credit from 15% to 20% of the federal EITC. This legislation would help supplement the federal EITC, one of the nation’s most effective tools for boosting the incomes of low-paid working families.

Testimony on Senate Bill 837 (Paid Medical and Family Leave) 5/5/2021
The Institute supports Senator Pearson’s bill (SB837), which would introduce economic equality into these programs by requiring employers to contribute to the TDI/TCI fund at an equal amount to their workers’ contributions.

Testimony in Support of Senate Bill 326 (Tax on Top 1%) 5/3/2021
The Institute supports Senator Murray’s bill (S326) to create a new tax bracket for Rhode Island taxpayers in the top 1% and to raise an estimated $128.2 million in annual revenue. This would impact only approximately 5,000 taxpayers, those with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) above $475,000. Furthermore, the 8.99% rate of this new tax bracket is a marginal rate, meaning it will apply only to any income above the threshold. All income below it will continue to be taxed at current rates.

Testimony on Senate Bill 221 (EITC) 5/3/2021
The Institute supports Senator Felag’s bill (S221), which would raise the state credit from 15% to 20% of the federal EITC. This legislation would help supplement the federal EITC, one of the nation’s most effective tools for boosting the incomes of low-paid working families.

Testimony in support of HB6121 – Budget Article 2, and in Opposition to Senate Bill 815 (Paycheck Protection Program) 4/15/2021
The Institute supports the Governor’s proposal in Article 2 of HB6121 (the Supplemental Budget for FY2021) to decouple partially from federal tax rules for the Paycheck Protection Program, and we think the proposal could be made even stronger. For the same reasons, we oppose SB815 which would keep Rhode Island fully coupled to the federal rules.

Testimony in support of Budget Article 12, Sec. 8 (Doula Services and Community Health Workers) and House Bill 5929 (Doula Services) 4/14/2021
The Institute writes in support of H-5929 which would require the Medicaid program and other health insurers to cover perinatal doula services. We also support Budget Article 12, Section 8 which provides EOHHS with authorization to amend the 1115 waiver to cover doula services for Medicaid participants. Long standing racial and ethnic disparities persist in maternal and child health outcomes in Rhode Island. In general, Whites and Asians have better maternal and child health outcomes than other racial/ethnic groups. Doula services have been shown to help improve maternal health outcomes, especially among Black women. EPI also supports the proposal to amend the 1115 waiver to authorize use of Medicaid funds to support and expand the network of Community Health Workers. It is now well-understood that it is critical to address the social determinants of health including adequate nutrition and safe housing not only to improve the health of our residents, especially people of color, but to help bring down health care costs.

Testimony in support of Budget Article 12, Secs. 4 and 8 (Long Term Care Services) 4/14/2021
The Institute writes in support t of Budget Article 12, Section 4 and these proposals in Section 8: Increase the Maintenance of Need Allowance, increase rates paid to shared living providers, increase rates for some direct care workers, increase rates for assisted living providers. These changes will accomplish 3 important goals: increase opportunities for seniors and people with disabilities who need long-term care services to live safely at home or a home-like environment, recognize and more adequately compensate the direct care workers who are critical to ensuring the care and safety of seniors and people with disabilities, and improve services for individuals living in nursing facilities. Testimony is submitted on behalf of Voices for Better Health (VBH), a partnership among EPI, the RI Organizing Project and the Senior Agenda.

Testimony Neutral on HB6122 – Article 9 (Extension of Sunset Dates for Economic Development Programs) 4/13/2021
The Institute takes a neutral position on Article 9 of the Governor’s FY2022 Budget which proposes extending the sunset dates for 14 economic development programs coordinated and managed by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. For the Rebuild RI Tax Credit, Tax Increment Financing, and 12 other programs, the Institute urges the General Assembly to undertake serious evaluation of these programs before extending the deadlines beyond 2022.

Testimony on House Bill 5672 (Child Care is Essential Act) 4/8/2021
The Institute writes in strong support of Rep Diaz’s bill, The Child Care is Essential bill, H5672. This bill has four important pieces – two that will work to shore up the child care system in Rhode Island as it reels from the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and two that will support families with low-incomes that are struggling to access affordable, quality child care.

Testimony on Article 13, Section 5 and 6 (Child Care) 4/8/2021
The Institute supports the child care provisions included in Article 13 of the Governor’s proposed budget that would invest $6 million to increase reimbursement rates for center-based child care providers and would allow parents enrolled in higher education to access CCAP subsidies.

Testimony on H-5683 and H-6122, Article 13, Sec. 5 (RI Works) 4/8/2021
This testimony is submitted by the Institute on behalf of The Raising RI Coalition. The Coalition strongly supports H-5683, sponsored by Representative Art Handy and Budget Article 13, Section 5 which propose changes to the RI Works program, our state’s cash assistance and work-force readiness program for low-income children and their families. While both include changes that will strengthen the current and future economic security of families, H-5683 is far stronger by requiring an increase in the monthly benefit paid to families.

Testimony in support of HB6121 – Budget Article 2, and in Opposition to House Bill 6170 (Paycheck Protection Program) 4/7/2021
The Institute supports the Governor’s proposal in Article 2 of HB6121 (the Supplemental Budget for FY2021) to decouple partially from federal tax rules for the Paycheck Protection Program, and we think the proposal could be made even stronger. For the same reasons, we oppose SB815 which would keep Rhode Island fully coupled to the federal rules.

Testimony on Budget Article 11 and Senate Bill 568 (Cannabis Legalization) 4/2/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony arguing why the legalization of cannabis, if enacted, must be accompanied by strong provisions to advance racial equity, as an appropriate response to decades of inequitable policies and practices undertaken through the war on drugs. Although both Budget Article 11 and Senate Bill 568 provide some equity measures, neither piece of legislation goes far enough. We also suggest that alternative taxation mechanisms be considered, in order to provide a more stable source of revenue to fund programs advancing racial equity.

Testimony on House Bill 5261 (Fair Pay) 3/17/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony on House Bill 5261 which, if enacted, would provide critical protections against employer-imposed wage differentials based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of origin.

Testimony on House Bill 5802 (Payday Lending) 3/11/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony on House Bill 5802 which, if enacted, would limit the harms of deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island. This bill would cap payday loans with APRs of 28 percent, in contrast to the 260 percent rates charged currently. This bill also helps by extending the repayment period and limits excessive fees.

Testimony on House Bill 5115 (Home Cost Sharing) 3/4/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of House Bill 5115, which would increase the income eligibility limit for the Home Cost-Share program from 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) to 250% FPL. The bill would enable more elderly Rhode Islanders to remain in their homes when they need daily support to do so and would promote the state’s long-standing promise to “rebalance” long term care services by increasing investments and opportunities in community-based care vs. care in a facility.

Testimony on House Bill 5012 (Nursing Home Staffing) 3/4/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of House Bill 5012, which addresses critical issues that are necessary to ensure that seniors who need the 24-7 care provided by nursing facilities live safely in those environments. By establishing minimum staffing standards, we ensure that residents will receive the quality care that they deserve.

Testimony on Senate Bill 226 (RI Works) 2/25/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of Senate Bill 226, which will provide short-term economic support to families that rely on the RI Works program when they have no other source of income. It will also improve long-term economic stability for families and help break the cycle of poverty by providing parents with an opportunity to gain the skills they need to secure a well-paying job and to support them as they enter the workforce.

Testimony on Senate Bill 270 (Wage Discrimination & Fair Pay) 2/24/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of Senate Bill 270, which would provide critical protections against employer-imposed wage differentials based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of origin.

Testimony on Senate Bill 138 (Overtime Wages) 2/24/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of Senate Bill 138, which if enacted, would raise the exemption threshold for employers paying their salaried employees overtime wages. By setting the exemption threshold above $1,000 per week, as SB138 would codify, employers would be less able to take advantage of low-salaried and even moderate-salaried workers to work beyond their contracted hours for no additional pay.

Testimony on Senate Bill 195 (Wage Theft) 2/24/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of Senate Bill 195, which would increase the penalties for wage theft and employee misclassification.

Testimony on Senate Bill 323 (Domestic Service Wages) 2/24/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of Senate Bill 323, if enacted, would end the exclusion from the legal definition, in Rhode Island statute, of an “Employee” those individuals who work as domestic workers or who work in or about the homes of other people. By classifying these individuals as employees, these individuals would qualify for being paid the state’s minimum wage.

Testimony on House Bill 5263 (Domestic Service Wages) 2/24/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of House Bill 5263, if enacted, would end the exclusion from the legal definition, in Rhode Island statute, of an “Employee” those individuals who work as domestic workers or who work in or about the homes of other people. By classifying these individuals as employees, these individuals would qualify for being paid the state’s minimum wage.

Testimony on House Bill 5130 (Minimum Wage) 2/24/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of House Bill 5130, which which would place Rhode Island on a path to a $15/hour minimum wage.

Testimony on House Bill 5257 (Lawful Source of Income) 2/11/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of of House Bill 5257, which would prohibit discrimination in housing based on a person’s receipt of a lawful source of income.

Testimony on House Bill 5158 (Early Childhood Education) 2/10/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in support of Representative Casimiro’s bill, the “Rhode Island Early Educator Investment Act”, which requires the state to develop goals and a plan to improve the recruitment, development, compensation, and retention of effective early educators.

Testimony on Senate Bill 137 (Minimum Wage) 2/3/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in opposition to the Senate Bill 137 which, if enacted, could result in a revenue loss to the state of Rhode Island in the hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

Testimony on Senate Resolution 136 (Minimum Wage) 2/3/2021
Read the Institute’s testimony in opposition to the Senate Resolution creating a commission to study RI’s Minimum Wage. The General Assembly and the public already possess adequate information to increase the minimum wage and match our neighbors in MA & CT.

Testimony on Senate Bill 1 and 143 (Minimum Wage) 2/3/2021
The Institute supports both Senator Quezada’s bill SB1 which would place Rhode Island on a path to a $15/hour minimum wage and Senator Ciccone’s bill SB143 which would accomplish the same thing as well as enact a number of additional, positive changes.

Testimony on Senate Bill 3 and 5 (ACA Consumer Protections) 1/14/2021
The Protect Our Health Care Coalition writes in support of S-3 and S-5 which enshrines in our state law the consumer protections included in the ACA to ensure that the coverage that residents are required to buy will truly meet their needs.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2 (Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act) 1/21/2021
The Institute writes in support of S-2 which addresses critical issues that are necessary to ensure the safety of seniors who need the 24-7 care provided by nursing facilities. By establishing minimum staffing standards, we ensure that residents will receive the quality care that they deserve. The Protect Our Health Care Coalition also testified in support of S-2.

2020 Legislative Testimony

Testimony on House Bill 7247 (Motion Picture Tax Credit)
[January 28, 2020] The Institute supports the creation of good jobs for Rhode Islanders and encouraging economic development in those communities most in need of such development. Given this context, the Institute has significant concerns with H-7247, which would allow the director of the Film & Television Office to waive the current requirement that productions must have Rhode Island serve as their primary location.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2147 (Minimum Wage)
[January 29, 2020] The Institute supports legislation raising the minimum wage – ideally to $15/hour – as quickly as possible. Three reasons why we need a $15/hr minimum wage is: to help our workers, to help retain our workforce, and to provide an economic boost to our Rhode Island economy.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2124 (Doula Services)
[February 4, 2020] The Institute supports passage of S-2124, which would require the Medicaid program and other health insurers to cover perinatal doula services. Long standing racial and ethnic disparities persist in maternal and child health outcomes in Rhode Island. Reducing disparities, improving birth outcomes and reducing state costs is a win-win-win for our residents and the state.

Testimony on House Bill 7157 (Minimum Wage)
[February 5, 2020] The Institute supports legislation raising the minimum wage – ideally to $15/hour – as quickly as possible. Three reasons why we need a $15/hr minimum wage is to: help our workers, to help retain our workforce, and to provide an economic boost to our Rhode Island economy.

Testimony on Budget Article 11 (Wavemaker Fellowship)
[February 26, 2020] Article 10, Section 9 extends the sunset date for the Wavemaker fellowship program from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2023 and Article 11 similarly extends the sunset dates for eleven tax credit/incentive programs administered by the Commerce Corporation.

Testimony on Budget Article 9 (Motor Vehicle Excise Tax)
[February 27, 2020] Article 9 of the Governor’s proposed FY2021 budget includes a provision to slow the phase-out of the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax, or “car tax.” We support this proposal, which raises the opportunity to review whether phase out of the car tax is good public policy.

Testimony on House Bill 7429 (Child Support)
[March 4, 2020] The Institute supports Representative Williams’ bill H7429 to eliminate interest on past-due child support payments, as 20 other states have done.

Testimony on Budget Article 10 and 5, Question 3 section d (Child Care and Pre-K)
[March 4, 2020] The Institute supports the articles in the Governor’s Proposed FY2021 Budget which invest in early childhood education, including Article 10 which expands access to publically funded pre-k and Article 5 which proposes a $15 million general obligation bond to finance capital projects for child care facilities.

Testimony on Senate Bill 7466 (Minimum Wage)
[March 4, 2020] The Institute supports Representative Walsh’s bill H7466 and raising the tipped minimum wage. Rhode Island’s current sub-minimum tipped wage or “cash” wage is $3.89/hour and was last increased in 2017. Bill S7466 would increase this amount by 50 cents annually until it reaches 2/3 the value of the regular minimum wage and keep it proportional going forward.

Testimony on House Bill 7570 (Minimum Wage)
[March 4, 2020] The Institute supports Representative Ranglin-Vassell’s bill H7570 to place Rhode Island on the path to a $15/hour minimum wage and to phase out the tipped minimum wage, as well.

Testimony on Budget Article 14 section 5 (Doula Services)
[March 10, 2020] The Institute strongly supports including Doula services as a required Medicaid service.

Testimony on Budget Article 14 (RIte Share)
[March 10, 2020] The Protect Our Health Care Coalition supports large employer reporting requirements intended to help maximize RIteShare enrollment as recommended in the Governor’s budget.

House Testimony on Budget Article 14 sections 1 and 5c (Medicaid Copays)
[March 10, 2020] The Protect Our Health Care Coalition opposes Budget Article 14 Sections 1 and 5c because Medicaid copays pose a very real barrier to care that will negatively impact health outcomes and are a bad deal for the state and the healthcare system that serves us all.

Testimony on House Bill 7881 (RI Works)
[March 11, 2020] The Institute writes in support of H-7881, amending the RI Works statute to strengthen engagement of parents in their employment-readiness plans. The proposed change would require a parent applying for RI Works cash assistance to sign her employment plan soon after receipt of cash assistance starts instead of prior to authorization of the benefit payment.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2143 (Minimum Wage)
[March 11, 2020] The Institute supports Senator Quezada’s bill S2143 which would raise and phase out the tipped minimum wage, as well as put Rhode Island on a path to a $15/hour minimum wage. Rhode Island’s current sub-minimum tipped wage or “cash” wage is $3.89/hour and was last increased in 2017.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2406 (Minimum Wage)
[March 11, 2020] The Institute believes that the General Assembly and the public already possess adequate information to increase the minimum wage, and we believe Rhode Island ought to get on a path to a $15/hour minimum wage to match our neighbors in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Testimony on Budget Articles 5 and 12 (Housing)
[March 12, 2020] The Institute writes in support of these proposals that would provide $25 million to increase construction and redevelopment of affordable homes, and create a dedicated funding stream to increase the supply of affordable safe and healthy homes.

Testimony on Senate Bill 191 (Payday Lending)
[April 9, 2020] The Institute supports Senator Metts’ bill SB191, which eliminates the deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island.

Testimony on House Bill 7624 (Nursing Home Staff and Quality Care)
[June 8, 2020] The Institute supports H7624 which addresses critical issues that are necessary to ensure that seniors who need the 24-7 care provided by nursing facilities are able to live safely in those environments. Establishing minimum staffing standards is important to ensuring that residents receive the quality care that they deserve.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2519 (Nursing Home Staff and Quality Care)
[June 13, 2020] The Institute supports S-2519 which addresses critical issues that are necessary to ensure that seniors who need the 24-7 care provided by nursing facilities are able to live safely in those environments. Establishing minimum staffing standards is important to ensuring that residents receive the quality care that they deserve.

Testimony on Budget Article 12 (Housing)
[July 7, 2020] The Institute writes in strong support of Budget Article 12 (Section 5). This proposal would create a dedicated funding stream to increase the supply of safe and healthy homes for Rhode Islanders. As an organization committed to achieving economic security for Rhode Islanders, we are acutely aware of how important affordable housing is to that goal.

Testimony on Article 11 (Economic Development)
[July 7, 2020] The Institute writes in opposition to Article 11, extends from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2023 the sunset dates for eleven tax credit/incentive programs administered by the Commerce Corporation. The Article also raises the cap on the Rebuild RI program from $210 million to $250 million. Any such expansion ought to be paused until issuance of the expected Office of Revenue Analysis report and a public hearing on this report.

Testimony in Support of Budget Article 15, Sections 7 and 8 (RI Works)
[July 28, 2020] The Raising RI Coalition facilitated by the Institute, writes in support of the two changes to the RI Works Program included in the Governor’s proposed budget and asks the Senate Finance Committee to consider two other changes to the program.

Testimony on House Bill 8119 and 8120 (Rainy Day Fund)
[July 29, 2020] The Institute makes the argument that now is not the appropriate time for the State to begin setting aside additional General Revenue funds for the state’s Budget Reserve and Cash Stabilization Account, also known as the “Rainy Day Fund.” So long as the current COVID-19 crisis continues and until there is substantial economic recovery and increased state revenue, Rhode Island should not increase the monies set aside for the next rainy day.

Testimony on Article 5, (Capital Development Program and Bonds)
[July 29, 2020] The Institute makes the argument that now is the right time for Rhode Island to borrow money to make key investments in our economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Such investments can be found in the revised Housing and Infrastructure Bond proposed in Article 5 of the FY2021 budget. Borrowing now is a relatively safe investment. Rates remain quite low, and strategic investments will likely produce returns in the form of greater economic activity and state revenue, and enough to enable repayment of the loans and interest.

Testimony in Support of Budget Article 15, Sections 7 and 8 (RI Works)
[July 28, 2020] The Raising RI Coalition facilitated by the Institute, writes in support of the two changes to the RI Works Program included in the Governor’s proposed budget and asks the House Finance Committee to consider two other changes to the program.

Senate Testimony on Budget Article 14 sections 1 and 5c (Medicaid Copays)
[July 28, 2020] The Protect Our Health Care Coalition opposes Budget Article 14 Sections 1 and 5c because Medicaid copays pose a very real barrier to care that will negatively impact health outcomes and are a bad deal for the state and the healthcare system that serves us all.

Testimony in Support of Budget Article 14 (First Connections Program)
[July 30, 2020] The Protect Our Health Care Coalition supports expanding the multi-disciplinary First Connections Program to pregnant women to help improve birth outcomes for vulnerable women.

Testimony in Support of Budget Amendment to Article 8 (CARES Act Tax Provision)
[September 23, 2020] The Institute supports saving the state approximately $29 million in much needed revenue by approving Budget Amendment 14 to decouple from a misguided tax provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

2019 Legislative Testimony

Testimony on House Bill 5196 (Court Fines)
The Institute supports Representative Blazejewski’s House bill 5196, which would standardize and restructure the assesment of a person’s ability to pay court fines, and require that qualification for Public Defender representation constitutes evidence of inability to pay.

House and Senate Testimonies on Governor’s Proposed FY2020 Budget – Article 13 (Minimum Wage)
The Institute supports legislation increasing Rhode Island’s minimum wage to $11.10 in 2020, as called for in Budget Article 13. Putting more money in the pockets of Rhode Island workers not only helps those families, it also supports local businesses and supports the Rhode Island economy.

House Testimony on House Bills H5097, H5269, H5338, H5658, H5660 (Minimum Wage)
The Institute supports increasing Rhode Island’s minimum wage. We believe Rhode Island should implement a $15 minimum wage as quickly as possible. Progress toward $15 for either a specific population or locality, as some of these bills propose, is important progress forward, but our goal must be a statewide $15 minimum wage, so working Rhode Islanders across the entire state can benefit.

Testimonies on H5033/S112 (Financial Literacy)
The Institute supports legislation which would ensure that Rhode Island students receive financial literacy education, will help achieve that goal by ensuring that students and their families:

better understand financial savings institutions, including the benefits of savings accounts and the pitfalls to high cost pay day loans;
are better educated loan borrowers to help reduce the likelihood of unnecessary longstanding student loan debt and;
are more likely to be able to become or remain homeowners.

House and Senate Testimonies on Governor’s Proposed FY2020 Budget – Article 15, Sec. 5 (RI Works)
The Institute strongly supports the Governor’s budget proposal to repeal the 24 month time limit in the RI Works program. Repealing the 24 month time limit would:

Improve the RI Works work-readiness program so parents are more likely to obtain and maintain long-term employment;
Streamline program operation;
Have no or minimal cost

House/Senate Testimony on Governor’s Proposed FY2020 Budget – Article 9 (Car Tax)
The Institute submitted an educational testimony on the car tax asking lawmakers to think critically about the car tax and review whether phase out of the car tax is good public policy.

Senate Testimony on Governor’s Proposed FY2020 Budget – Article 14 (Individual Mandate)
The Institute submitted testimony in support of Article 14 with changes, requesting amending the proposed structure of the shared responsibility payment penalty to protect lower income Rhode Islanders by exempting taxpayers with income below 150% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and setting the penalty as a percentage of income. Under the current proposal lowe income taxpayers would paya higher share of their income in penalties.

House H5137/Senate 321 (Source of Income Housing Discrimination)
The Institute submitted testimony in support of legislation which would prohibit discrimination in housing based on a person’s receipt of a lawful source of income. Rhode Island has a severe shortage of affordable and safe housing. Many working families are unable to find and afford a decent apartment in which to raise their children.

House Testimony on Governor’s Proposed FY2020 Budget – Article 11 (College Promise)
The Institute submitted testimony in support of budget article 11 but do not support the provision that the program would only be available to adults only once they turn 25. Setting the eligibility age for adults at 25, leaves a big gap – young adults between the ages of 19 and 24 would not be eligible for RI Promise. Yet this is precisely the group of young adults we should be encouraging to continue their education because they are likely to be already motivated to do so.

Testimony on Senate S508/ House H5957 (Fight for $15 Minimum Wage)
The Institute supports raising the minimum wage. We believe Rhode Island should implement a $15 minimum wage as quickly as possible for the reasons listed below. Raising the minimum wage by a lower amount or raising it to $15 for specific groups of workers would still make for valuable progress, but our goal must be a statewide $15 minimum wage, so that working Rhode Islanders across the entire state can benefit.

House Testimony on House H5511/Senate S153 (Driver’s Licenses for All)
The Institute submitted testimony in support of legislation which would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driving privilege licenses/permits to Rhode Islanders who are unable to establish lawful presence in the United States. As of June, 2016 twelve states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted such laws. These include New England states, Connecticut and Vermont. The driving privilege license/permit is not a valid form of ID for voting or other benefits but providing these documents has economic and social benefit to the individuals and to the state.

Testimony on Senate S191/House H5521 (Payday Lending)
The Institute submitted testimony in support of legislation which eliminates the deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island. Payday loans, such as those currently permitted in Rhode Island, are high-cost loans structured to perpetuate an ongoing cycle of debt. Payday loans are harmful to consumers, and hurt the economy.

Senate Testimony on S683 (Shared Responsibility Payment)
The Institute supports with recommendations to improve fairness S683 which includes the provision which subjects short-term limited duration plans to the same regulations governing the individual health insurance market, the establishment of an individual mandate and reinsurance program proposed and attention to outreach to enroll uninsured individuals.

As stated previously, we recommend amending the proposed structure of the shared responsibility payment penalty to protect lower income Rhode Islanders by eliminating the flat penalty amount and instead setting the penalty as a percentage of income (2.5% up to 400% FPL and 3.2% above 400% FPL) and exempting individuals with income below 150% of the federal poverty level (FPL).

Testimony on Senate S262 and House H5617 (RI Works)
The Institute strongly supports passage of S-262. The bill would make two important changes to the RI Works Program, our state’s safety net and workforce development program for low income children and parents. The changes proposed in S-262 will (1) encourage 18 year olds to stay enrolled in high school and (2) improve parents’ earning capacity by allowing participation in two-years of post-secondary education. These changes will benefit small numbers of RI Works participants, but have a potentially large impact on improving educational and employment outcomes.

Testimony on Senate S272/House 5245 (Earned Income Tax Credit)
The Institute submitted our EITC brief in support of legislation that would increase the Rhode Island EITC to 20 percent of the federal credit.

Testimony on House (H6019)/Senate (S698) Bills (Non Compete Agreements)
The Institute supports legislation which prohibits enforcing noncompetition agreements on low-wage workers. As originally designed, noncompetition agreements aimed to prevent highly-compensated, executive-level or other highly-skilled employees from leaving one company for another within a competitive industry and harm competition through their knowledge and possibly bringing trade secrets from their former employers. Increasingly, however, such “agreements” have been imposed upon workers at all levels, including, for example, low-wage workers at fast food franchises.consumers, and hurt the economy.

Testimony on House 5310, 5312, 5594, 5777 (Estate Tax)
The Institute testified in opposition to legislation that would erode or eliminate Rhode Island’s already narrow Estate Tax, depriving the Treasury of much-needed revenues, and making our current inequitable tax structure even more inequitable. Should the Estate Tax be repealed altogether, Rhode Island stands to lose something on the order of a half-billion dollars in revenues over the next decade.

Testimony on House H5399/S21 (Personal Income Tax)
The Institute supports legislation H5399 which takes an important step in decreasing the regressivity and increasing the fairness of Rhode Island’s tax structure by adding three new personal income tax brackets, for households with adjusted gross incomes above $320,320.

Testimony on House H5106/Senate S282 (Child Care)
The Institute supports legislation H5399 which would increase tiered rates for preschoolers in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and establish and increase tiered quality rates for school-aged children. Legislation introduced will complete the work of ensuring providers are adequately reimbursed for the care they provide by adding additional increases for centers serving preschoolers (with increases ranging from 3% to 22% depending on the star level) and also establish tiered rates for school-aged children in centers, with increases ranging from 2.5% to 36%).

Testimony on Senate S816 (Adult Education)
The Rhode Island Workforce Alliance suggests changes to legislation which would move responsibility for the Adult Education Delivery System from the RI Department of Education (RIDE) to the Governor’s Workforce Board (GWB). We urge the General Assembly to put in place certain guardrails and protections to ensure that the quality, scope and structure of the current delivery system are maintained.

Testimony on Senate S172, 509 (Equal Pay)
The Institute supports legislation (S172) to require employers of 100 or more employees to report—by gender, race, ethnicity, and job category—information on compensation and hours worked. Senate Bill 509 would provide protections against employer imposed wage differentials based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of origin. These bills will move Rhode Island towards equal pay, adding important protections to those currently in place both in Rhode Island and federally.

Testimony on House 5912/ Senate S765 (Paid Family Leave)
The Institute submitted our TCI brief in support of legislation that would improve Rhode Island’s paid family leave program by:

Increasing the number of weeks a worker can use from four to six weeks in 2020 (and up to eight weeks in 2021),
expanding the category of who a worker can take time to care for to include grandchildren, siblings, and care recipients,
expanding who is eligible for TCI to include self-employed individuals,
increasing the benefit rate from the current 60% of wages to 65% in 2020; 70% in 2021; 75% in 2022,
institute fines and penalties for not reinstating an employee to work if they use TCI.

2018 Legislative Testimony

Testimony on House Bill 7528 / Senate Bill 2301 (Housing Discrimination Based on Source of Income)
The Institute supports House Bill 7528 and Senate Bill 2301 which would prohibit discrimination in housing based on a person’s receipt of a lawful source of income. Discrimination based on source of income is as harmful to families and individuals and to our public well-being as is discrimination based on race, religion, marital status and other statuses that are protected by Rhode Island’s Fair Housing law.

Testimony on Governor’s Budget Article 13 and 14 (Medicaid)
The Protect Our Health care Coalition testified in the Senate Finance Committee in opposition to sections in Article 13 (co-payments for Medicaid) and 14 (Proposed rebalancing of long-term care) of the Governor’s budget. The Coalition is opposed to the requirement of copayments for vital health services because they will cause financial hardship and likely adverse health outcomes for over 150,000 adults, including parents, pregnant women, single adults and seniors who will be subject to these payments. As for the “rebalancing” of ling-term care, Rhode Island has a long-standing goal of “rebalancing” long-term care by making more investments in quality community based services that help people live at home. But at least two proposals in the proposed budget would be a step backward on the road to achieve this goal.

Testimony on Governor’s Budget Article 11 (Workforce)
The Institute’s Linda Katz delivered testimony on behalf of the RI Workforce Alliance on Article 11 of the Governor’s budget which would put the Governor’s Real Jobs Rhode Island Program into state law and proposed changes to the State Work Immersion Program. The Alliance suggests also added the Real pathways program into state law to ensure that the organization of the workforce development system around industry partnerships includes a commitment of resources and strategies to address the needs of lower-skilled adults.

Testimony on Governor’s Budget Article 12 (Economic Development)
The Institute submitted written testimony in opposition to sections of Article 12 of the Governor’s budget which would continue to expand the number and range of economic incentive tax credits and remove the sunset’s provisions to these tax incentives which are set to expire on December 31, 2018. The institute also supports the provision in the budget article that would require Commerce RI to assess the “performance, effectiveness, and economic impact of” most of the Governor’s economic development incentives but we have concerns about this report and the still due Tax Incentive Evaluation Act of 2013 report.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2244, 2247 (Minimum Wage)
The Institute supports Senate Bill 2244, which gradually increases the hourly minimum wage to $15.00/hour (in January 2022), and increases the tipped minimum wage to $15.00/hour (in January 2026), and Senate Bill 2247 increasing the minimum wage to $11.00 in 2019 and to $12.00 in 2020.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2476, 2244 (Tipped Minimum Wage)
The Institute supports Senate Bill 2476 to increase the tipped minimum wage from $3.89/hour to $9.00/hour on January 1, 2022 (and eliminate it entirely starting January 1, 2023) and the provisions in Senate Bill 2244 increasing the minimum wage for tipped workers from $3.89/hour to $15.00/hour on January 1, 2026).

Testimony on Budget Article 13, Sec, 1 and 3 (Copayments and RIte Share)
The Institute is opposed to the proposal to require low-income Medicaid beneficiaries to pay co-pays for certain services. The Institute also has objections to some of the proposed changes to the RIte Share program.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2270 / House Bill 7385 (Foreclosure Mediation Act)
The Institute supports passage of Senate Bill 2270 and House Bill 7385 which would remove the sunset provision on the Foreclosure Mediation Act. The General Assembly wisely enacted the Foreclosure Mediation Act in 2013 in response to the frightening number of foreclosures in our state during and post-recession to ensure that homeowners had the opportunity to keep their homes, if possible. Since passage of the Act, 70% of homeowners who participated in the mediation process were able to avoid foreclosure.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2638/2375 (Equal Pay)
The Institute supports passage of Senate Bill 2638 which would require employers of 100 or more employees to report—by gender, race, ethnicity, and job category—information on compensation and hours worked, and Senate Bill 2475, a bill that provides protections against employer imposed wage differentials based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of origin.

Testimony on Budget Article 15 (Child Care Assistance)
The Institute supports Article 15 of the Governor’s budget which would invest $1.5 million to create a tiered reimbursement rate structure based on quality and creating a pilot program allowing parents enrolled in post-secondary education to access child care assistance.

Testimony on House Bill 7544 / Senate Bill 2470 (Paid Leave)
The Institute supports passage of House Bill 7544/Senate Bill 2470 which would expand access to Rhode Island’s paid family leave program for hard-working, low-income Rhode Islanders. This bill would:
• Increase the number of weeks a worker can use from four to six weeks in 2019 (and up to eight weeks in 2020)
• Expand the category of qualifying family members to include grandchildren and siblings
• Increase the amount workers can receive when they claim TCI

Testimony on House Bill 7799 (Workforce)
The Institute supports passage of House Bill 7799 which would provide an opportunity for employees affected by plant closings or mass layoffs to furnish competitive bids to purchase businesses otherwise at risk of reducing their workforce.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2173 (Payday Lending)
The Institute supports passage of Senate Bill 2173 which eliminates the deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island. Payday loans, such as those currently permitted in Rhode Island, are high-cost loans that are structured to perpetuate an ongoing cycle of debt.

Testimony on House Bill 7316 (Affordable Housing)
The Institute supports passage of House Bill 7316 which would provide for $5 million of capital investment for affordable housing development in the FY 2019 budget and subsequent years. EPI’s mission is to promote economic stability for all Rhode Islanders. The lack of affordable housing is a cavernous gap in the ability of working families and people living on a fixed income to meet basic needs.

Testimony on House Bill 7094 (Medicare Premium Savings Programs)
The Institute opposes House Bill 7094 which would increase the income eligibility limits for the Medicare Premium Savings Programs and eliminate the asset test. This would allow more low-income seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare for most of their health care needs to be relieved of the cost of at least their monthly Medicare premium, thus freeing up their limited income to meet other basic needs.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2394 (Sales and Use Tax)
The Institute opposes passage of Senate Bill 2394 which would remove the sales tax on pet care services, eroding state revenues needed for the critical investments needed to build thriving communities and a strong vibrant economy.

Testimony on House Bill 7099 (Sales Tax Holiday)
The Institute opposes House Bill 7099 which creates a sales tax holiday in mid-August, eroding state revenues needed for the critical investments needed to build thriving communities and a strong vibrant economy. Eroding this revenue source in any way places critical public investments in jeopardy.

Testimony on House Bill 7315 (EITC)
The Institute supports passage of House Bill 7315 (Slater) that would increase the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit from 15 percent of the federal level to 20 percent of the federal level.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2871 (Workforce)
The Institute supports passage of Senate Bill 2871 which would provide an opportunity for employees affected by plant closings or mass layoffs to furnish competitive bids to purchase businesses otherwise at risk of reducing their workforce.

Testimony on House Bills 7146, 7147, 7432 (Estate Tax)
The Institute opposes House Bills 7146, 7147, 7432 which would erode Rhode Island’s estate tax, depriving the Treasury of much-needed revenues, and making our current inequitable tax structure even more so.

Testimony on House Bill 7385 (Foreclosure Mediation Act)
The Institute supports passage of House Bill 7385, which would remove the sunset provision on the Foreclosure Mediation Act. The General Assembly wisely enacted the Foreclosure Mediation Act in 2013 in response to the frightening number of foreclosures in our state during and post-recession to ensure that homeowners had the opportunity to keep their homes, if possible. Since passage of the Act, 70% of homeowners who participated in the mediation process were able to avoid foreclosure.

Testimony on House Bill 7891, Senate Bill 2567 (Driver’s Licences for Undocumented Immigrants)
The Institute supports passage of H7891 (Williams) and S2567 (Ciccone), bills that would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driving privilege licenses/permits to Rhode Islanders who are unable to establish lawful presence in the United States. Note that this is separate from the DACA Driver’s licenses bills that have passed the House and Senate.

Testimony on House Bill 7803 / Senate Bill 2734 (Long-term Care Delivery)
The Institute supports passage of House Bill 7803 and Senate Bill 2734 which will further our state’s long-standing goal of providing more opportunity for seniors and people with disabilities to live in their homes and communities. The 2006 findings also acknowledged the need “to assure that rates paid for community-based long-term care services are adequate to assure high quality as well as supportive of workforce recruitment and retention”. The Independent Choice option will help further this goal as well – promoting improved working conditions for the 10,000 plus direct care workers who provide such a vital service to their clients and to our state.

Testimony on House Bill 7148 (Child Care Assistance)
The Institute supports passage of House Bill 7148 (Diaz). Representative Diaz’s companion bill would expand on the Governor’s proposed Article 15 to create a tiered reimbursement rate structure based on quality for all child care programs.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2120 and Article 15 (Child Care Assistance)
The Institute supports passage of Senate Bill 2120 (Crowley) and Article 15 of the Governor’s proposed budget that invests $1.5 million to create a tiered reimbursement rate structure based on quality for infants and toddlers and creates a pilot program allowing parents enrolled in post-secondary education to access child care assistance. Senator Crowley and Representative Diaz’s companion bill would expand on Article 15 to create a tiered reimbursement rate structure based on quality for all child care programs.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2217 (EITC)
The Institute supports passage of Senate Bill 2017 (Goldin) that would increase the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit from 15 percent of the federal level to 20 percent of the federal level.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2389 (Tax Equity)
The Institute supports passage of Senate Bill 2389 (Satchell) that would create three new tax brackets to the state’s income tax structure at $275,000, $500,000, and $1,000,000 (with increased rates of 7.99%, 8.49%, and 8.99%, respectively). EPI using data from The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) argue that it would raise $130 million dollars and only affect 2.2% of all Rhode Island filers.

Testimony on House Bill 7860 (Medicaid income eligibility)
The Institute supports passage of House Bill 7680 which would increase the Medicaid income eligibility limit for seniors and people with disabilities. Under current rules, the income limit is 100% of the federal poverty level ($1,012/month for a single adult). The income counting methodology is based on gross earned and unearned income, with a $20 disregard applied to unearned income and additional disregards to earned income. There is also a resource test of $4,000

Testimony on Senate Bill 2472 (Jobs Development Act)
The Institute supports passage of Senate Bill 2472 which sunsets/discontinues the Jobs Development Act (JDA) rate reduction as of July 1, 2018. Since 2008, Rhode Island revenues have been depleted by more than $160 million as a result of JDA tax abatements, depriving the state Treasury of much-needed resources while our schools, bridges, and roads have fallen further into disrepair. ORA’s recommendation is particularly relevant to the bill, noting that the inclusion of sunset provisions in economic development tax incentive bills is considered a “best practice”, and recommending the addition of a sunset provision for the JDA or a time limit on the length of time a company could be eligible to claim the rate reduction.

Testimony on Senate Bill 2785 Sub A2 (Essential Health Benefits)
The Institute and the Protect Our Health Care Coalition support passage of Senate Bill 2472 because it enacts Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) and no-cost sharing for preventative services as a part of state law. This is important as ongoing administrative actions at the Federal level continue to erode key consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

2017 Legislative Testimony

Testimony in Support of Governor’s Budget Article 20 (Min Wage)
The Institute testified in support of the Governor’s FY18 Budget Article 20 which increases the minimum wage to $10.50 in 2017.

Testimony in Support of Senate Bill 0350 (Wage Theft)
The Institute testified in support of S350 which would expand Rhode Island’s current protections against wage theft, by prohibiting employers from subjecting their employees to wage theft by deducting from wages for spoilage, breakage, cash shortages, or fines, or by imposing penalties for tardiness, misconduct, or quitting by an employee without notice.

Testimony in Support of H5453 (All Students Count Act)
The Institute testified in support of H5453, the All Students Count Act which would require schools to gather and report on an agreed-upon set of sub groups within the “Asian” category and other categories as appropriate. As our “State of Working Rhode Island, 2015: Workers of Color Report” demonstrated, the failure to report sub-categories within the “Asian” category can mask significant differences among sub-populations. In our 2015 report, the “All Asian” category shows median income of $36,105. But the median income for South East Asians is only $30,621 and the median income for South and other Asians is $50,000. Just as the “All Asian” category masks these significant wage differences, collecting data about K-12 “Asian” students may mask potential significant differences in educational achievement among sub-populations.

Testimony in Support of S206 (Child Support)
The Institute submitted written testimony in support of S206 which would allow the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) to automate the process of initiating reviews of a child support orders for non-custodial parents at the ACI who will be incarcerated for 180 days or longer. The bill will improve the efficiency of the current child support modification process and help eliminate the accrual of arrears, making it more likely that the parent will meet his child support obligation when he is released from the ACI.

Testimony in Support of Article 3 (RI Promise)
The Institute submitted written testimony in support of Article 3 of Governor Raimondo’s budget which would allow RI high school seniors to be able to attain an Associate’s degree at CCRI and complete a Bachelor’s degree at RIC or URI. Improving opportunities for our high school graduates to continue their education is an important part of what should be a comprehensive approach to ensuring more Rhode Islanders can attain economic security and employers have the skilled workforce they need to compete in the national and global economies. A comprehensive approach includes expanding early learning opportunities for children through expanding pre-K and child care (areas that have also seen investments over the past few years); ensuring high quality K-12 schools that meet the diverse needs of all students; and providing more opportunities for the current adult workforce to improve their skills and earnings capacity, such as ending the waiting list for adults anxious to improve their English language skills.

Testimony in Opposition to Budget Article 2 (Eco. Dev. & Tax Credits)
The Institute presented testimony in the House in opposition to the Governor’s Budget article 2 which would further expand the number and range of tax credits used for economic development. With a new report forthcoming that should provide helpful information to assess the effectiveness of Rhode Island’s existing economic development tax incentives, we advise against further expanding Rhode Island’s suite of tax credits. Retaining a larger share of tax revenues to invest in a healthy and well-educated workforce, transportation, and other critical infrastructure may have a greater impact on Rhode Island’s future economic prosperity.

Testimony in Support of H5413 (Earned Sick Days)
The Institute testified in support of H5413 which would provide paid sick leave to Rhode Island workers. One significant reason to pass paid sick leave legislation is that failing to do so further exacerbates disparities based on income. The Economic Policy Institute shows in stark terms that “rich people have paid sick days [while] poor people do not.”

Testimony in Support of H5057 (Minimum Wage)
The Institute testified in support of House Bill 5057 increasing the minimum wage for Rhode Island workers to $10.50. Putting more money in the pockets of Rhode Island workers not only helps those families, it also puts more money in the cash registers of local businesses and creates jobs in Rhode Island.

Testimony in Support of H5595 AND H5315 (Tipped Wage)
The Institute submitted written testimony supporting the provisions in House Bill 5595 and 5315 increasing the minimum wage for tipped workers. After decades of stagnant wage growth, lower income Rhode Islanders can best contribute to a vibrant Ocean State economy if their wages are sufficient to allow them to spend their income on goods and services, supporting local businesses in every Rhode Island community.

Testimony in Opposition to H5742 (EBT Cards)
The Institute submitted written testimony in opposition to House Bill 55742 which would require individuals using their EBT card to provide a photo identification card at the time of a transaction. While the bill amends a section of the law that applies to the use of RI Works cash assistance, requirements pertaining to the use of EBT cards impacts SNAP benefits as well. This is because an individual who receives both RI Works cash assistance and SNAP benefits has one EBT card through which their cash benefit and their SNAP benefit are accessed. To the extent this bill is intended to reduce SNAP trafficking – such trafficking involves the conspiring of both recipients and retailers, requiring photo identification would not act as any sort of deterrent.

Testimony in Support of H5686 (Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants)
The Institute submitted written testimony in support of House Bill 5686 which would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driving privilege licenses/permits to Rhode Islanders who are unable to establish lawful presence in the United States. Allowing our working neighbors to have a driving privilege license/permit will not only ensure they are safe drivers but can promote additional work hours or job changes that can improve the local and state economies.

Testimony in Support of S290 (Earned Sick Days)
The Institute submitted written testimony in support of Senate Bill 290 which would provide paid sick leave to Rhode Island workers. One significant reason to pass paid sick leave legislation is that failing to do so further exacerbates disparities based on income. The Economic Policy Institute shows in stark terms that “rich people have paid sick days [while] poor people do not.” As with every workplace reform in this nation, opponents of earned sick time in every jurisdiction warned the sky would fall. They were wrong. They warned of unintended consequences of job loss and business flight. It never happened. What we have learned from the Family [email protected] network is that, across the country, these 40 local economies where paid sick days policies have been implemented are thriving!

Testimony in Support of S676 (Worker’s Cooperatives)
The Institute supports Senate Bill 676, An Act Relating to Corporations, Associations, and Partnerships – Workers’ Cooperatives. In establishing a mechanism for the formation of enterprises that are not only owned, but also democratically controlled and operated by their own workers, this bill provides an important set of tools to address several key economic challenges facing Rhode Island today.

Testimony in Opposition to Budget Article 2 (Eco. Dev. & Tax Credits)
The Institute presented testimony in the Senate in opposition to the Governor’s Budget article 2 which would further expand the number and range of tax credits used for economic development. With a new report forthcoming that should provide helpful information to assess the effectiveness of Rhode Island’s existing economic development tax incentives, we advise against further expanding Rhode Island’s suite of tax credits. Retaining a larger share of tax revenues to invest in a healthy and well-educated workforce, transportation, and other critical infrastructure may have a greater impact on Rhode Island’s future economic prosperity.

Testimony in Opposition of H6198 (Temporary Caregiver Insurance Program)
The Institute presented testimony in opposition of House Bill 6198, which would jeopardize the benefits available to thousands of Rhode Island workers through the publicly administered Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) Program and Temporary Caregiver’s Insurance (TCI) Program. The Institute had several concerns with the legislation including its impact on employees, its impact on the TDI fund and its impact on the Department of Labor and Training.

Testimony in Support of H5331 (Payday Lending)
The Economic Progress Institute supports House Bill 5331, which eliminates the deferred deposit transactions that drive the payday loan industry in Rhode Island. Payday loans are harmful to consumers, and hurt the economy. H5331 protects Rhode Islanders, which currently face fees of $7.6 million a year due to payday lending, accounting for 93 percent of all payday lending fees in New England.

Testimony in Opposition to H6186 (Adult Education) on behalf of Workforce Alliance
The Institute on behalf of the RI Workforce Alliance opposes House Bill 6186, which would direct 10% of state funds allocated to the RI Department of Education (RIDE) for adult education to be dedicated to programs that are provided at an employer’s workplace. This would result in at least a $200,000 reduction in funds for the community-based network of adult education providers, which is already facing an equal reduction due to changes in state allocations by the federal agency. The loss of funds would mean adding more Rhode Islanders to the waiting list for services.

Testimony in Support of H5791 (Earned Income Tax Credit)
The Institute supports House Bill 5791, which would increase the Rhode Island Earned Income Tax Credit from 15% of the federal credit to 20%. The EITC is a common-sense tax credit that benefits working families, small businesses and our local economies.

Testimony in Opposition to H6005 (Sales Tax)
The Institute opposes House Bill 6005, a bill that would further decimate Rhode Island’s revenue base, and undercut Rhode Island’s ongoing economic recovery.

Testimony in Opposition to H6267 (Motor Vehicle Tax)
The Institute opposes House Bill 6267, a bill that would further erode Rhode Island’s revenue base at an estimated annual cost of $221 million (this amount is in addition to the $10 million in state aid currently allocated to partially offset the MVT). Furthermore, looming potential federal cuts to programs like Medicaid, SNAP, LIHEAP, education, housing, and workforce development means that the state cannot afford to decimate state revenues further. In the absence of new revenue sources, the Institute expects budget cuts that are not known at this time and calls on the House to discuss what cuts are on the table before enacting on the proposed MVT phaseout.

2016 Legislative Testimony

Testimony in support of House Bill 8057 (RI Works Program)
The Institute testified in support of Representative Abney’s bill H 8057 which would eliminate the 24 month time limit for families receiving benefits under the RI Works program. There is no evidence that the 24 month time limit is a necessary part of the RI Works framework to achieve good outcomes for parents. In fact, the opposite is true. It is time to repeal this provision of RI Works. To learn more about the RI Works program and other state welfare time limits, click here.

Testimony in support of H 7927 (Temporary Caregivers Insurance)
The institute submitted written testimony in support of Representative Maldonado’s bill H7927 which would make improvements to the Temporary Caregiver’s Insurance (TCI) Program. The changes included in this bill will increase participation and fairness for lower wage workers by: 1) exempting a portion of their salary from contribution so they are able to keep more of their paycheck while they are working and 2) increasing the wage replacement percentage so that if those workers need to participate in the TCI program, they will receive a larger share of their salary while they are out on leave. Lifting the earnings cap on contributions is a reasonable and equitable way to insure that the contribution pool stays strong.

Testimony in Support of H 7347 (Earned Income Tax Credit)
The Institute testified in support of H 7347 which proposes raising the state Earned Income Tax Credit to 20 percent of the federal credit. An increased state EITC will help 83,000 of Rhode Island’s working families meet their basic needs. and has a significant return on investment that will help Rhode Island’s economy. The merits support making an increased state EITC a priority investment in hard working Rhode Islanders.

Testimony in Opposition to H 7383 & H 7732 (Estate Tax Credit)
The Institute testified against H 7383, which exempts from the estate tax “property used in the conduct of a trade or business” to the value of five million dollars, and H 7732, which exempts from the estate tax “the value of a qualified small business valued at an amount not greater than $5,000,000.” Exempting estates valued at $5 million or more from estate taxes benefits only the most wealthy Rhode Islanders. We expect our public dollars to be used for our common good, to fund our schools, maintain our bridges, and protect the safety of the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Testimony in support of H 7235 (Dis-aggregated Data in Schools)
The Institute testified in support of the All Students Count Act, which would require schools to gather and report on an agreed-upon set of sub groups within the Asian/Pacific islander category. Currently schools report racial and ethnic data about students in the following categories: Native American, Asian Pacific, Black, White, Hispanic, Multi-Race. The failure to report sub-categories within Asian/Pacific Islander can mask significant differences among these populations, as our recent “State of Working Rhode Island, 2015: Workers of Color Report” demonstrates.

Testimony in Support of H 7628 (Protection from Wage Theft)
The Institute submitted testimony in support of H7628 which would grant employees several additional avenues to help them collect their wages from nonpaying employers, sets forth penalties for nonpayment of wages by an employer, and implements a new procedure for filing of claims. Enacting this bill will give some teeth to Rhode Island’s current protections against wage theft.

Testimony in Support of S 2721 (Earned Sick Leave)
The Institute testified in support of S2721, An Act Relating To Labor And Labor Relations— Healthy And Safe Families And Workplaces Act, which would provide earned sick leave for RI workers. This measure has broad support, even by business leaders. A recent survey of American CEOs indicating that a vast majority of those polled (73 percent) support paid sick days, while just 16 percent opposed paid sick days.

Testimony in Support of S 2723 (Temporary Caregiver Insurance)
The Economic Progress Institute testified in support of S2723 which would make improvements to the Temporary Caregiver’s Insurance (TCI) Program, increasing participation and fairness for lower wage workers. Lifting the earnings cap on contribution is a reasonable and equitable way to insure that the contribution pool stays strong.

Testimony in Support of S 2587 (Unemployment Insurance)
The Institute testified in support of increasing the maximum weekly unemployment benefit rate to the higher of fifty-seven and one-half percent (57.5%) of the average weekly wages paid to workers in the prior calendar year or six hundred sixteen dollars ($616) per week. Passage of this bill would help individuals (and their families) by providing them with a source of income during periods of unemployment and insulate the Rhode Island economy from the negative effects of economic impacts.

Testimony in Support of H 7694 (Gender Wage Gap)
The Institute testified in support of the FAIR PAY Act, a bill that takes important steps to address persistent wage differentials based on gender. The Institute estimates that if trends continue, women’s median wages will not be equal to men’s median wages in Rhode Island until 2038.

Testimony in Support of H 7633 (Earned Sick Leave)
The Institute submitted written testimony at the House Labor Committee in support of H7633, legislation introduced in the House of Representatives that if passed would provide Rhode Island workers with earned paid sick days. One significant reason to pass paid sick leave legislation is that failing to do so further exacerbates disparities based on income. The Economic Policy Institute shows in stark terms that “rich people have paid sick days [while] poor people do not.” Moreover, employer savings and government savings are considerable, creating a more productive workforce that is less reliant on public assistance and emergency rooms for treatment of illnesses.

Testimony in Support of H 7285 (Minimum Wage)
The Institute supports Representative Bennett’s bill H7285 which would further increase Rhode Island’s minimum wage to $11.00/hour increasing wages for 107,100 Rhode Island workers (22 percent of total workforce), by a total of $80.1 million. An $11 minimum wage would give the Rhode Island economy a further boost. Critics of increasing the minimum wage argue that raising the minimum wage will result in job loss. A meta-analysis done by the Center for Economic and Policy research that looked at over a thousand academic papers, shows that there is essentially no aggregate impact on employment levels.

Testimony in Support of: S2379, S2235, & S2475 (Protection from Wage Theft)
The Institute submitted testimony in support of S2235, S2379, and S2475, each of which addresses different dimensions of wage theft, which undermines the well-being of workers in Rhode Island. Wage theft has contributed to the decline in the lowest 20 percent of wages in RI– down more than a dollar per hour since 2000. Additionally, we urge the Finance Committee to work with their legislative colleagues to provide the Department of Labor and Training the resources necessary to ensure full enforcement of all of Rhode Island’s laws protecting against wage theft (The Governor’s proposed funding for the Workforce Regulation and Safety Division for 2017 falls short of 2014 spending by nearly $70,000)

Testimony in support of H 7610 (Licenses for Undocumented Workers)
The Institute submitted written testimony in support of Representative Williams’s bill (H7610) that would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driving privilege licenses/permits to Rhode Islanders who are unable to establish lawful presence in the United States.Undocumented immigrants contribute an estimated total of $33 million in taxes to Rhode Island. Allowing our working neighbors to have a driving privilege license/permit will not only ensure they are safe drivers but can promote additional work hours or job changes that can improve the local and state economies.

Testimony in Support of H 7325 (Carbon Tax)
The Institute testified in support of H7325 which would make Rhode Island the first state in the nation to put a price on carbon through a carbon tax. While a portion of the carbon tax will be passed onto consumers, including lower-income families, in the form of higher prices, the Energize Rhode Island Act addresses this concern, by providing rebates to Rhode Island families and businesses, ensuring they come out ahead–especially if they do their part to reduce their own carbon emissions.

Testimony in Support of Governor’s Budget Article 13 (Min Wage / EITC)
The Institute testified in support of the Governor’s FY17 Budget Article 13 which increases the minimum wage to $10.10 next year and expands the state earned income tax credit from 12.5 percent to 15 percent of the federal credit (the Governor indicated an interest in further expanding the EITC pending available resources following the mid-year revenue forecast). Senator Goldin and Representative Slater have each introduced bills (S 2156 and H 7347) to further increase the EITC to 20 percent of the federal credit.

Testimony in Support of H 7505 (Protection from Wage Theft)
The Institute testified in support of a bill before the House Labor Committee that expands Rhode Island’s current protections against wage theft, by prohibiting employers from subjecting their employees to wage theft by deducting from wages for spoilage, breakage, cash shortages, fines or by imposing penalties for tardiness, misconduct, or quitting by an employee without notice.

Testimony in Opposition to H 7356 (Temporary Disability Insurance)
The Economic Progress Institute testified in opposition to H7356 highlighting concerns that the bill, which allows employees to opt-op of the TDI program would shrink the pool of those paying into the program, thus undermining the ability of the program to reimburse those who need the coverage.