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Boston Globe
18-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
R.I. House approves $14b tax-and-spending plan
State Representative Marvin Abney, the chairman of the House Finance Committee, said on the floor Tuesday it's been a year of 'change and uncertainty,' and urged the importance of compromise. 'That concept is so simple, but bears mentioning in a week that saw the Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up The budget bill passed 66 to 9 on a nearly party-line vote. One Republican, Marie Hopkins of Warwick, joined the Democrats in approving the plan. Advertisement House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi said there remains 'uncertainty' in Washington as the US Senate considers the He said he was most concerned about potential cuts to food stamps and Medicaid. 'Drastic changes' in federal aid could prompt a special fall legislative session, Shekarchi said. (The General Assembly does not typically meet in the summer or fall, reconvening in January.) The House Finance Committee last week revealed the Advertisement The extra tax does not apply if the homes are rented at least half of the days out of the year. State leaders have not yet calculated how much revenue the new tax, which would take effect next summer, would bring in. The tax was previously nicknamed the 'Taylor Swift' tax when it was proposed in years past, after the pop star's $28 million home in Westerly. Representative Charlene Lima, a Cranston Democrat, argued on the floor that the tax would punish Rhode Islanders who are not wealthy but whose family beach homes have dramatically increased in value over the decades. 'This is not the Taylor Swift tax, this is the mom-and-pop tax,' Lima said. 'They're hardworking men and women who we're treating as millionaires.' Lima proposed an amendment to increase the threshold for the tax to $2 million homes. The amendment failed, with 17 representatives in favor and 56 opposed. 'Taylor Swift can afford it, sure,' Lima said. 'That's not who you're hurting. You're hurting real people.' Representative Katherine Kazarian, an East Providence Democrat, disagreed. 'A million dollars is a lot to spend on a primary home, much less a second home,' Kazarian said. 'If you own a second home that is valued at a million dollars, you can pay a little more in taxes.' Other changes from McKee's original proposal included a 2 cent increase in the gas tax, an additional $45 million in Medicaid spending on primary care (including a federal match), higher registration fees for electric vehicles, an increase in the tax on home sales, more money for school districts, and $22 million more to Advertisement A number of Republican amendments were rejected on the floor, including a proposal by Representative Brian C. Newberry, a North Smithfield Republican, who sought to 'claw back' $11 million that Attorney General Peter F. Neronha secured in a Newberry said state law mandates that the proceeds of any monetary settlements entered into by the attorney general be paid into the general fund and controlled by the General Assembly. He argued Neronha ignored that mandate when he settled a case with Barletta Heavy Division over contaminated soil at the 6/10 connector, a highway interchange in Providence. 'This should be the decision of the people in this chamber and the Senate,' Newberry said. 'The attorney general needs to be taught a lesson. This is one way to teach him a lesson. Take the $11 million from his budget and they can go back crawling to the Rhode Foundation.' In a statement, Neronha said, 'Directing funds from the resolution of a criminal case brought by this office and authorized by a court to solve severe and unmet oral health challenges for Providence children is well within the authority of my office. We are prepared to defend attempts to argue otherwise.' The House ended up rejecting Newberry's amendment by a vote of 13 to 60. Advertisement Afterward, Shekarchi told reporters that he did not think Neronha violated the law, since the settlement was approved by a court. 'In this country that we live in, if you don't like a ruling of a judge, (US Supreme Court Chief) Justice Roberts said the best way to handle that is to file an appeal,' Shekarchi said. 'It's not to go to the legislative body and try to limit the court's discretion. If this particular settlement was improper, the solution is to appeal that.' In a separate settlement announced Monday, Neronha secured $30 million for Rhode Island in a nationwide opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family. While most of that money will be appropriated at a later time, the House did use some of it Tuesday to put $1.3 million into . The budget debate, which began just after 4 p.m., was over before sundown, a rarity in a chamber that has been known to legislate until the wee hours. Shekarchi attributed the speedier debate to the 'many, many' budget caucuses and meetings held during the session, where lawmakers made their priorities clear. 'I think it's a good budget,' Shekarchi said. 'We really went out of our of way to help the residents of nursing homes, the patients in the hospital, the people who take RIPTA to work. I'm really proud of the budget.' The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. Advertisement Steph Machado can be reached at
New York Post
13-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
House Republicans propose bill that would set aside $5 billion for private school vouchers
House Republicans want to set aside up to $5 billion a year for scholarships to help families send their children to private and religious schools, an unprecedented effort to use public money to pay for private education. The proposal, part of a budget reconciliation bill released Monday, would advance President Donald Trump's agenda of establishing 'universal school choice' by providing families nationwide the option to give their children an education different from the one offered in their local public school. Nearly all households would qualify except those making more than three times the local median income. Supporters of private school vouchers say they want to give families assigned to low-performing schools more choices. Advertisement House Republicans set forth a budget reconciliation bill on Monday, which would set aside $5 billion a year for scholarships to help families send their children to private and religious schools. AP 'Giving parents the ability to choose the best education for their child makes the (American Dream) possible,' said Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who sponsored a similar proposal in the Senate. The program would be funded by donors who could contribute money or stock. In turn, they would receive 100% of the contribution back in the form of a discount on their tax bills. It would allow stock holders to avoid paying taxes that would be levied if they donated or transferred the stock. Advertisement Critics decried the proposal, saying it would aid the wealthy at the expense of the public school systems that serve the overwhelming majority of students. They said it would set up a tax shelter allowing savvy investors to make money under the guise of a donation. All of this comes as the Trump administration downsizes the Education Department and cuts resources to public schools, including $1 billion in mental health grants and funding for teacher training. 'This is a significant threat,' said Sasha Pudelski of AASA, the School Superintendents Association. She added that states that have voucher programs often end up assisting families that were already paying for private school. 'It's opening the door even wider to what has already plagued voucher programs around the country, which is rampant waste, fraud, and abuse.' Advertisement Similar tax-credit scholarship and private school voucher programs have proliferated in red-leaning states like Texas, which just passed a $1 billion program. Public school advocates worry the programs hurt enrollment and per-pupil funding, ultimately leaving fewer resources for families that choose public schools.
Boston Globe
14-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Driscoll fills in for Wu at research bureau, while Mariano jokes about RFK Jr.
Advertisement Wu recently said in a social media post that she decided not to attend the lunch, a tradition for the sitting mayor, because of her concern that the business-backed research bureau has been acting as a 'political action committee to lower corporate taxes.' (Wu was referring to their difference in opinion about how commercial real estate should be taxed.) Instead, Wu ended up around the time of the lunch at Boston Latin School, where she met with actor Ayo Edebiri, a BPS alum and star of the TV show 'The Bear.' Mayoral challenger Josh Kraft, who attended the research bureau event, highlighted Wu's absence with an email he sent out that morning accusing his opponent of shutting out a nonpartisan organization over a policy disagreement. Advertisement House Speaker Ron Mariano, meanwhile, wasn't about to miss his own annual speaking engagement that morning with another business group, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, even though he was fighting a cold. He joked about that while speaking at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel, by referring to US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and some of his controversial stances. 'You'll have to forgive me. I've had a cold for a week but I'm on direct orders from Secretary Kennedy of Health and Human Services to attend as many crowded events as possible,' Mariano said to much laughter. 'We're trying to achieve herd immunity.' This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston's business scene. Jon Chesto can be reached at
Boston Globe
09-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Congressional Republicans cheer Trump's tariffs announcement: ‘Behold the 'Art of the Deal''
'It really lightened up the lunch discussion,' said Senator Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, adding that there were 'a lot of smiles.' Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., said he was relieved by the announcement and 'we all would rather see the market rise than fall.' Republicans in recent days have become louder with their concerns that Trump's sweeping tariffs would harm the economy. In the Senate, they have pushed the White House to negotiate trade deals rather than double down on the tariffs. Advertisement House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the president's move in a post on X, writing 'Behold the 'Art of the Deal.' ' Behold the 'Art of the Deal.' President Trump has created leverage, brought MANY countries to the table, and will deliver for American workers, American manufacturers, and America's future! — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson)
South China Morning Post
25-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Trump portrait to be taken down after president claimed it was ‘purposefully distorted'
A painting of Donald Trump hanging with other presidential portraits at the Colorado state Capitol will be taken down after Trump claimed that his was 'purposefully distorted', according to a letter obtained by Associated Press. Advertisement House Democrats said in a statement that the oil painting would be taken down at the request of Republican leaders in the Legislature. Colorado Republicans raised more than US$10,000 through a GoFundMe account to commission the oil painting, which was unveiled in 2019. Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican, said that he requested for Trump's portrait to be taken down and replaced by one 'that depicts his contemporary likeness'. 'If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that's up to them,' the Democrats said. The portrait was installed alongside other paintings of US presidents. Before the installation, a prankster placed a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin near the spot intended for Trump. Advertisement Initially, people objected to artist Sarah Boardman's depiction of Trump as 'nonconfrontational' and 'thoughtful' in the portrait, according to an interview with Colorado Times Recorder from the time.
