June 10, 2015 – RI Future

June 10, 2015June 11, 2015

Raimondo budget amendment undermines abortion access

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The 2016 RI State Budget, approved by House Finance late Tuesday evening, included language on abortion coverage in its section on HealthSource RI funding that goes far beyond what is required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This part of the budget, inserted at the request of Governor Gina Raimondo on May 29, replaced article 28 of her original budget which the General Assembly changed to Article 18 in its final version.

The part that pertains to abortion coverage reads:

(3) Any health plan that delivers a benefit plan on the exchange that covers abortion services, as defined in 45 CFR section 156.280(d)(1), shall comply with segregation of funding requirements, as well as an annual assurance statement to the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, in accordance with 45 C.F.R. sections 156.280(e)(3) and (5).

(4) At least one plan variation for individual market plan designs offered on the exchange at each level of coverage, as defined by section 1302(d)(1) of the federal act, at which the carrier is offering a plan or plans, shall exclude coverage for abortion services as defined in 45 CFR section 156.280(d)(1). If the health plan proposes different rates for such plan variations, each listed plan design shall include the associated rate.

(5) Health plans that offer a plan variation that excludes coverage for abortion services as defined in 45 CFR section 156.280(d)(1) for a religious exception variation in the small group market shall treat such a plan as a separate plan offering with a corresponding rate.

The ACA requires, by 2017, that a Multi-State Plan not covering most abortions be offered on every state-based health exchange. The language above mandates that every insurer operating on HealthSource RI offer multiple plans that do not cover abortion. The budget in its current form does not require that insurers offer plans to cover abortion, so any insurer not interested in offering nearly identical plans may decide to drop such coverage altogether.

The federal mandate that requires at least one plan that does not cover abortion should more than adequately cover those with a well-founded religious objection to abortion so that they can find a health plan to cover their needs.

I have made two requests to the Governor’s office, asking for clarification of the amendment’s intent and the reasoning behind the language, but these have gone unanswered.

Gina Raimondo has always maintained that she is staunchly pro-choice. That she would be behind some of the most audacious anti-choice legislation in decades, and that the language should be inserted into the budget without any public debate or comment may come as a surprise to her supporters.

After receiving the endorsement from the Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island PAC, Raimondo said, ‘The Catholic Church has a clear position and I have a clear position…I am clearly pro-choice.”

But Raimondo’s Budget Article 28, by mandating that every insurer offer multiple plans that do not cover abortion, undermines the accepted medical and legal standard that abortion is a safe and legal procedure. Just as individuals do not get a choice about whether their health insurance covers blood transfusions, erectile dysfunction, or vaccinations, abortion coverage should be treated as an essential health benefit, not an outlier “variation” for which every insurance plan must make an exception.

June 10, 2015June 10, 2015

Children lobby GA leaders on domestic violence prevention

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Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed were met by unusual lobbyists in the hallways of the State House before going into session on Tuesday. Five children, Shyenne, 14, Seneca, 11, Shawnee, 9 Saponi, 8 and Dominique, 10, all victims of or witnesses to domestic violence, asked the General Assembly leaders to pass legislation that would create the Domestic Violence Prevention Fund, helping to “put an end to domestic violence before it starts.”

Paiva-Weed took extra time to greet the children, and told of her time as an advocate for domestic violence victims, expressing that she understood the traumas associated. She thanked the children for reminding her about this important concern. Mattiello spoke to the children in a crowded hallway, and I was not privy to the specifics of the conversation.

According to the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which organized the event, 500 children have been present at domestic violence arrests since bills H5651 and S650 were heard by committees in March. 500 children that might have been helped had this legislation passed.

“Childhood trauma,” reads a RICADV press release, “is not something a person grows out of- such adverse experiences strongly relate to a person’s development and to the prevalence of health and social problems throughout one’s lifespan, including chronic diseases, substance abuse, dropping out of school, employment challenges and even early death.”

1 in 3 Rhode Islanders will experience domestic violence within their lifetimes. Between 8 and 10 thousand children receive domestic violence services in Rhode Island each year. “In 2013, children were present for 40 percent of domestic violence arrests, and children accounted for 50 percent of the clients who stayed in domestic violence shelters that year.”

The status of children struck by hot cooking oil during a domestic violence incident in Providence last week is unknown, but it is the kind of assault that a smart domestic violence prevention program may have prevented.

About 100 domestic violence advocates and volunteers, many first time visitors to the State House, cornered legislators and pinned small orange paper dolls to their lapels if the legislator expressed support for the bill. “It’s a little like ‘pin the tail on the donkey’” said Deborah DeBare, Executive Director of RICADV. RICADV partnered with SOAR (Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships) for this action.

More seriously, DeBare added, “We want our legislators to know that we care about our children, that we know they they care about our children, and that we want the Domestic Violence Prevention Fund established. Simple as that.”

Please consider calling your state rep and senator, and telling them that you want H5651 and S650 passed before more children fall victim to domestic violence.

June 10, 2015

State House leaders presented 13,000 signatures opposed to PawSox move

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David Norton, representing Organizing For Pawtucket, delivered petitions to Governor Gina Raimondo, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Senate President Teresa Paive-Weed on Tuesday afternoon. Over 13,000 Rhode Island residents signed the petition demanding that the PawSox stay in Pawtucket and that no tax dollars be spent on the construction of a new stadium in downtown Providence.

According to the press release:

Today we are delivering 13,000 petition signatures to Rhode Island leadership. As the most powerful legislator in Rhode Island, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has the power to say NO to PawSox principal owner Larry Lucchino. We are calling on him specifically to take action on this issue.

13,000 Rhode Islanders and people at every point across the political spectrum in Rhode Island – from the Tea Party to the Progressive Democrats – are in agreement: Speaker Mattiello, MAN UP and tell PawSox principal owner Larry Lucchino NO!

A small group, followed by news cameras, first went to the Governor’s office, where a staffer politely accepted a box containing copies of all the signatures. The group then went to the third floor and to the Speaker’s office, where the reception was a good deal more chilly. At one point the Speaker’s staffer got up and left the room, only to return a moment later to tell Norton to place the petition on the floor next to her desk.

The surprise came at the Senate President’s office, when Paiva-Weed opened the door to her office herself. Perhaps the Senate President was equally surprised to see a group of news cameras and activists at the door when she opened it, but if so, she didn’t show it, much.

Paiva-Weed graciously accepted the petition and promised to keep the interests of Pawtucket in mind during negotiations.

You would think it would be all but impossible to ignore 13,000 signatures.

You can watch the petition signature delivery below:

June 10, 2015

House Finance approves budget bill, full chamber to vote Tuesday

The House Finance Committee considers the FY 2016 budget.

After much deliberation, the House Finance Committee gave a unanimous 19-0 vote on the FY 2016 budget late on Tuesday night, which included $37.7 million more than the proposed budget given by Governor Gina Raimondo back in March. The legislative budget proposal is for $8.67 billion dollars, with $3.55 billion from general revenue contributing to that.

“We concur with many of the governor’s initiatives for economic development,” House Finance Chairman Raymond Gallison (D-District 69) said in a press briefing tonight.

According to Gallison, the committee, in large part, accepted Raimondo’s budget, but there were some key provisions that saw change, including Social Security, Medicaid, and sales taxes to businesses.

Those who made between $80,000 and $100,000 will be exempt from paying social security income tax. These tax cuts will give retired Rhode Islanders $9.3 million in tax relief. Businesses are also now exempt from paying the sales tax on corporate utilities. Governor Raimondo had originally proposed phasing it out over five years, but will instead be taken out all at once this year. The earned income tax credit for middle to low income households has also increased from 10 percent to 12.5 percent.

The budget outlines a 2.5 percent Medicaid cut for hospitals, and a 2 percent cut for nursing homes. Gallison said this provides more protection for nursing homes. The House budget cuts Medicaid roughly $67 million, a far cry from the $90 million that the governor had proposed, but the hospital license fee has been increased to 5.862 percent, which would bring in $13 million in additional revenue.

“Funding to maintain HealthSource RI is included in the budget,” Gallison said, outlining the distribution changes to its funding. Now, individuals will pay a surcharge of 2.86 percent on their monthly premiums, and businesses will pay a .59 percent surcharge. The budget allocates $2.6 million for HealthSource RI going into FY 2016. There is also no more additional surcharge for outpatient and imaging services.

Full-day kindergarten is another key provision, with the governor allocating $1.4 million from general revenue to fund programs in the seven communities that don’t offer full-day kindergarten yet. Educational aid was increased by $35.8 million in order to pour money into the educational funding formula. There was also $20 million added for school construction purposes.

Higher education saw an increase of $7 million. The Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority is being downsized, with its responsibilities now being transferred to the Council of Post Secondary Education and the Office of the General Treasurer.

Other major provisions within the bill include cuts to all eight local tourism bureaus, a $2 million increase for RIPTA, and a $0.25 increase in the state sales tax on cigarettes, bringing it up to $3.75 per pack. The tax increase is estimated to bring in $1.7 million in revenue.

What is absent from the budget is just as significant as what is present.

“This budget does not contain anything whatsoever to do with a proposal for a stadium, or any tolls on trucks as proposed by the governor,” Gallison said during the hearing. Also notably absent is the “Taylor Swift tax” on million dollar homes in the state.

Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello has gone on the record saying that the proposed budget is business friendly, and will allow for economic development in the state.

“The budget that’s going to be voted on tonight is very pro-business, pro-economy. It’s going to serve as a catalyst for existing businesses as well as working to attract new businesses to the state of Rhode Island,” he told members of the media on Tuesday.

Gallison agreed with that sentiment, giving his own statement at the beginning of the hearing.

“We continue to move Rhode Island onto an economic path to enable businesses to continue to grow,” he said.

The bill is scheduled to go to the House of Representatives floor next Tuesday.