As the first state legislative session of 2021 came to a close, WBNA reached out to each of the state lawmakers representing our focus area to ask what they're most proud of (and most concerned about) so far this year. Not all of them were able to speak with us in time to participate in this update, but those who could shared valuable perspectives on RI's political landscape. Here's what they told us!
Sam Bell - Senate District 5
Senator Bell shared his thoughts on the session with WBNA via email
"This is, I think, the first year in a very, very long time that the legislature did more good than harm. I'm very pleased to see the passage of a path to a $15 minimum wage, some legislation to begin tackling the climate crisis, and some important steps towards reining in the power of the health insurance companies to deny coverage and dump costs on patients. And while there were definitely some bad bills, it was nowhere near as bad as it's been in the past. What I'm most proud of is how we got this done. When I was first elected in 2018, I adopted the strategy first pioneered by Senator Calkin, a Warwick Senator elected in 2016. Her innovation was to vote for bills on the basis of whether they were good or not, rather than on the basis of whether the machine supported them or not. She also pioneered the idea that you shouldn't vote for a right-wing leadership whose values were wildly out of step with the state of Rhode Island. When I adopted her strategy, there were a lot of skeptics. So many lobbyists and machine operatives told me that it would never work, that you have to loyally support the machine to get things done. But I knew that approach wasn't working for the people of our state. So alongside Senator Nesselbush, I adopted Senator Calkin's strategy, and I was able to continue her work to change the Senate. We made progress. Bills like the codification of Roe v. Wade were able to finally pass. When a wave of new progressive Senators won primaries last year (shoutout to Senator Mack, among many others), with a strong activist movement working with us, we were able to work together to use this strategy to keep the pressure on the machine in the Senate, and we saw the Senate really move on policy in a way it hasn't moved in many, many years. Our tactics are working, and that gives me hope.
The most frustrating setback of the year was an extremely disappointing budget that slashed state aid to Providence despite a $417 million surplus. Despite an unemployment rate of 5.8% and considerable ongoing suffering from the people of our state, the House and Senate Leadership resorted to aggressive budgetary gimmicks to delay relief until it will be too late to help (and go much more heavily towards inflation). This budget is, in my view, macroeconomic mismanagement, and it's an area where we have a lot more work to do. I was also very disappointed to see some of the important bills we got through the Senate die in the House, such as the legalization of recreational cannabis, driver's licenses for our undocumented neighbors, strong renewable energy standards, and many others."
Contact Senator Bell: sen-bell@rilegislature.gov
Tiara Mack - Senate District 6
Senator Mack shared her thoughts on the session with WBNA over the phone
Senator Mack shared that her first year as a senator was unusual and in many ways challenging due to the pandemic. While she's encouraged by the strength and underlying values of the policies being written and proposed by progressive legislators and activists, she has been disappointed in the legislature’s failure to enact what she sees as common sense reforms. In particular she pointed out the failure to pass basic criminal justice reforms like recreational cannabis legalization, the Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill of Rights, and the Restrictive Housing Act (which would greatly reduce the use of solitary confinement in prisons) at a time when communities are calling for the transformation of the legal system. She also was disappointed in the state’s failure to tax the rich or pass a rent moratorium as the pandemic exacerbated economic inequality and left many Rhode Islanders facing homelessness.
Senator Mack sees certain qualified victories, like the overdue passage of an incremental $15 minimum wage plan, as a sign that leadership is conscious of the growing progressive movement and public appetite for progressive policies in our state. Like Senator Bell, Senator Mack is most excited by the strong activist base pushing for a more accountable and progressive state legislature, and sees electing more progressive candidates to state office as essential to passing legislation that can improve the lives of struggling Rhode Islanders.
Contact Senator Mack: sen-mack@rilegislature.gov
John Lombardi - House District 8
Rep Lombardi shared his thoughts on the session with WBNA over the phone
Representative Lombardi shared that this legislative session included a number of achievements, many of which, while encouraging, in his opinion do not go far enough. He was encouraged by some elements of the recently passed budget, including the institution of the first permanent funding stream for affordable housing development sourced from the real estate conveyance tax. He hopes to expand funding in the future for both affordable and low income housing in the state.
Rep Lombardi was also proud of a recent bill making it easier to have conviction records expunged, an essential and difficult step for formerly incarcerated people, although he says it doesn't go far enough as it still places hurdles preventing those with deferred sentences from having their records sealed. He hopes that the legislature will go further in coming sessions to eliminate barriers to employment and public services for formerly incarcerated Rhode Islanders.
Rep Lombardi was discouraged by the governors' office's cuts in state funding to distressed cities and towns and wants to see increases during the upcoming session. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the state takeover of Providence Public Schools, emphasizing that future superintendents should be hired from within the school system, not outside.
Contact Representative Lombardi: rep-lombardi@rilegislature.gov
Anastasia Williams - House District 9
Rep Williams shared her thoughts on the session with WBNA over the phone.
Representative Williams shared several victories from this session. She pointed to the passage of legislation banning housing discrimination based on source of income, a significant step toward housing equity, She also highlighted the passage of pay equity legislation, which is an important win for Rhode Island women and will bring the state a step closer to wage equality. She shared that both of these victories were hard fought and years in the making.
On a personal note Rep Williams was proud of her work to establish a special legislative committee dedicated to studying the racial equity impacts of optimizing health and safety laws for marginalized individuals, particularly sex workers. She also sponsored legislation upping jury pay to $35 by 2023 in order to make serving on a jury more accessible to low income Rhode Islanders, and passed legislation mandating the teaching of African American history in schools. Like Senator Mack, while Rep Williams was pleased to see the passage of a $15 minimum wage, she saw it as long overdue and the plan as far too slow in implementation (the wage will not reach a full $15 until 2025).
Rep Williams was particularly unhappy this session with the leadership’s refusal to back essential changes to the Law Enforcement Officers Bill Of Rights (LEOBOR) which she sees as a massive obstacle to police accountability. She was also disappointed by the legislature’s failure to make drivers’ licenses accessible to undocumented people, a reform which would lift a burden from the daily lives of many Rhode Islanders.
Contact Representative Williams: rep-williams@rilegislature.gov