Bad Bills 2019

As part of our mission to expose the make believe fantasies that progressive-left legislation can wreak on our State, actual legislation that was submitted in 2019 is listed below.  Already ranking a dismal 47th on the Jobs & Opportunity Index, a more comprehensive view of  states’ economic picture than the more narrow unemployment rate, the bills listed below if enacted into law would make conditions even worse for Ocean State businesses and families. We urge the Speaker to fulfill his promise to be a firewall against progressive policy.

CLICK HERE For The Center’s Testimony On Corporate Medicaid Tax

The progressive-left wants to place further burdens on employers and envisions that many Rhode Islanders should strive no higher than survival at some meager, government-defined level of existence. We know Rhode Islanders deserve better. Clear, consistent, and limited government maximizes innovation and competition. Click on the arrows to the right to see bills named in previous weeks.

Below you will find a tracking tool for legislation being evaluated by the Center. The list of legislation is preliminary and will be adjusted throughout the General Assembly Session. Check back on this page often for updates.

If Rhode Island were to work towards a pro-growth, lower tax and regulatory business climate, there is no reason to believe our state could not share in the same dynamic economic growth that we are now seeing across America. With national jobless claims at 40 year lows, with record low African American unemployment, and with Hispanic unemployment also approaching historic lows, it is a win-win situation for Rhode Island to consider meaningful tax cuts and regulatory reforms. In the real world, free-market forces, not overly burdensome government regulations, are the best way to ensure that Rhode Island becomes a place where families can prosper.