State House News

Check here during the General Assembly session for news on State House activities that affect NEARI members.

Special  Commission to Study All Aspects of the State Pension and Retirement System

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Unfinished business as State House hums to life

The Assembly will be voting on a series of veto overrides this week before the year's session begins. Of particular interest to NEARI members will be the veto vote on HB 5613, which creates a board of directors to oversee the creation of uniform teacher health care benefits.

You can read the full bill here.

You can see the full override agenda here.  

The Senate Finance Committee takes up the Governor's supplemental budget proposal on Tuesday at 2PM and the House Finance Committee starts hearings Wednesday at 1PM.

On the Federal side, the Senate will be taking up the Jobs for Main Street Act that passed in the House in Mid December. A key component of the bill is the creation of a $23 billion Education Jobs Fund to protect teacher jobs at the State level. The legislation would mean an additional $78 million for Rhode Island.

Here is a good summary of the bill. You can send a message to Senators Reed and Whitehouse asking them to pass the Jobs For Main Street Act through the NEA site here.

If you are in the Providence area on Tuesday, our fellow workers at UNITE-HERE Local 217 will be staging a picket line at the Westin Hotel downtown. Stop by and show your solidarity. Find more information here.