Blog | Ray Sullivan

A special announcement

Posted Feb 08 at 4 PM
It has been an honor to serve as an advocate for the people of Coventry and West Greenwich in the General Assembly for the last five years. Because I have always valued your friendship and support, I wanted you to hear from me directly that this will be my last year in the House of Representatives, as I will not be seeking a fourth term in office.

I am proud of what we were able to accomplish together over the past five years. In my time in the House, I took on some pretty tough fights - some were won, some were lost - but no matter the outcome, I was always driven by your genuine support and confidence. Together, we worked to increase access to health care and prescription medications for those who couldn't afford it; fought for economic and social justice; spoke up for veterans; and demanded tougher restrictions and penalties for careless polluters. Thanks to your help, we can say we made a real difference.

I have accepted a position as the deputy district director for public policy in the Office of Congressman James Langevin and will begin that job on March 1st. My career in public service began nearly10 years ago as his press secretary during his first run for the United States Congress. I am honored to once again be working for someone who has fought hard to better the lives of those he represents.

Thank you for all your support over the years. Every phone call, text, letter, email and Facebook message have meant the world to me and I'll never forget it.

Thank you,

Ray
Headed to the RINEMBA meeting tonight

Posted Nov 03 at 7 PM
Tonight I'm headed up to JC's in West Greenwich for the monthly meeting of the Rhode Island Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association. On the agenda is a discussion of H6304, which was recently passed in both chambers, and officially sanctions the use of non-motorized bikes in the Big River Management Area.

I'm looking forward to being more involved with RINEMBA, in addtion to promoting shared trail usuage and preservation, they help lead the effort to clean up the Big River area every year.
Diesel update

Posted Apr 09 at 4 PM
We had a relatively productive meeting of stakeholders today to discuss the diesel emission reduction act. We're meeting again to talk more specifics a week from this monday and move the discussion away from broad concepts and into the particulars of the legislation. I'm confidant that this is the year we can get it done. In the meantime, Annie Costner forwarded me this great video of local school kids doing their part to help reduce pollution. Enjoy!
Don't tell me things can't change

Posted Apr 06 at 12 PM
This from WRNI today:

Just when you thought nothing much ever changes at the Rhode Island State House, along comes a group of Democratic legislators
April 6, 2009 - 10:48am
By: Scott MacKay

Just when you thought nothing much ever changes at the Rhode Island State House, along comes a group of Democratic legislators flexing their muscles and defying the House leadership. This group of pragmatic liberals may have more influence as the state struggles to fashion a spending and taxing plan for then next year.

Last Wednesday, minutes before the Rhode Island House began consideration of a midyear budget to close a $357 million deficit, a group of Democratic legislators huddled in a small hearing room outside the House chamber. After shooing a reporter away, the group pored over the details of last-minutes changes in the budget plan.

None of these lawmakers are household names. They include the recently elected, such as David Segal of Providence, Ray Sullivan of Coventry and Ed Pacheco of Burrillville. they have been joined by veteran Democrats, including Art Handy of Cranston and Edie Ajello of Providence. The loosely-organized group is said to number about 20 in the 75-member House.

Over two days, this group and their allies were able to accomplish something fairly remarkable at the capitol: upset the well-laid plans of the House Finance Committee and top House and Senate leaders.

They went to Speaker William Murphy of West Warwick and insisted that $25 million be added back to state aid to Rhode Island's reeling cities and towns. They pushed for caucuses to give the rank-and-file members a chance to comment on budget proposals before they are sprung for floor votes. And they won agreement from their leaders that House budget-writers will consider taxing upper-income taxpayers if revenues must be raised to close further deficits.

Many of the younger representatives in the group call themselves progressives, or progs for short. This is the 21st century euphuism for liberals.

Those charges were modest, considering the magnitude of government red ink in a state with a sinking economy. But that it happened at all is unusual, because legislative leaders usually punish mutinies by low-level lawmakers.

Why did the leaders buckle? Because they can count. They needed the votes of the liberal members to win approval of the budget by a margin big enough to withstand a veto by Republican Governor Donald Carcieri.

THIS MIGHT SEEM LIKE INSIDE BASEBALL. BUT THE COMPLEXION OF THE HOUSE IS CHANGING.

Murphy is seen in the twilight of his speakership and others are lining up to take his place. House Majority Leader Gordon Fox of Providence is interested in moving up and he was instrumental in helping the liberals with their agenda.

The collision course will come as these liberal members propose taxing wealth and the governor and more conservative Democrats push back.

There is no mystery why House liberals are increasing their power. It is the result of choices made by the VOTERS, WHO IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES RECENTLY HAVE SIDED WITH LIBERALS AND WITH THE PRACTICAL EXTINCTION OF THE RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN PARTY, WHOSE LEADERS DON'T SEEM CAPABLE OF RECRUITING EFFECTIVE CANDIDATES. WATCH FOR A VERY CONTENTIOUS JOUST AS LEGISLATORS STRUGGLE TO PASS A TAXING AND SPENDING PLAN FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR THAT BEGINS ON JULY 1st.
Speaking at the URI Public Relations Summit today

Posted Apr 06 at 11 AM
Diesel update and what you can do to help

Posted Apr 04 at 3 PM
We had a very brief hearing on the Diesel Emmission Reduction Act on Thursday and I think we're close to reaching an agreement with all the stakeholders. I wanted to share an email that Annie Costner sent this week to supporters of the effort to curb diesel pollution.

Hello Diesel Champions!

Note, we will not have a hearing for the Providence Clean Diesel ordinance on this Monday, April 6.
But, the campaign marches on!

Yesterday I met with more than a dozen representatives from the construction industry, local unions, the AGC, Teamsters and the Department of Transportation who have opposed the policies promoted by us, the Diesel Pollution Initiative.

Strikingly, the meeting revealed that they are willing to work with us on a policy that will prevent diesel pollution from government jobs, in a timely manner, both at the local and state levels. This is a HUGE step for the DPI, City of Providence and all Rhode Islanders who stand to benefit from clean diesel policies. I will be meeting with that same group on a weekly basis throughout the month of April to develop policy language everyone can live with.

In the meantime, we need to keep the pressure on. Rita Kerr-Vanderslice from our office will be conducting pollution patrols and looking to get press attention on these. If you are interested and want to be involved, call our office (401) 331-6972. In addition, we need Letters to the Editor of your local paper, and Letters to decision makers, like the City Council, State legislators and the Governor. We need your help to ramp up the noise on diesel and make sure we pass strong local and state policies this year!

letters@projo.com

kceditor@ricentral.com
editorial@thewesterlysun.com
johnh@warwickonline.com
editor@pawtuckettimes.com
editor@newportri.com

Rhode Island is ahead of other states where this policy is concerned, so we have the chance to set an example about how government at all levels must be diligent and responsible with the public money they spend. Diesel pollution has a solution and we can start here!

Keep up the good work. We have much to be proud about,

Annie
www.cleanwateraction.org/ri/
WRNI's Political Roundtable discusses progressive caucus' role in shaping the budget

Posted Apr 04 at 2 PM
ProJo covers budget back and forth

Posted Apr 04 at 2 PM
Sullivan among early opponents to supplemental budget

12:14 PM Tue, Mar 31, 2009
By Steve Peoples

Rep. Ray Sullivan is among a handful of lawmakers who have informed Democratic leaders that they cannot support the supplemental budget endorsed by the House Finance Committee on Friday.

"Unless something dramatic changes that I couldn't see voting for this supplemental budget in its current form," Sullivan told us this morning. "That's what I informed a member of the leadership team yesterday."

The current version of the mid-year budget-repair bill seeks to close a deficit of at least $357 million by increasing the state's gasoline tax by 2 cents, the cigarette tax by $1, cutting funding to hospitals and nursing homes, and stripping $55 million in revenue sharing from cities and towns.

The municipal aid cut "is the real driver" behind the opposition, Sullivan said. "We've all heard from our cities and towns. I don't think I'm alone in saying that mayors and town managers and school folks have called us pretty consistently. The cuts are just so Draconian... What's going to happen if we pass this, every single city and town is going to be asking for enabling legislation to pass a local supplemental tax increase."

House Democrats are scheduled to meet behind closed doors Tuesday afternoon to discuss the budget plan. Sullivan said he won't know how powerful the opposition is until that time.

"I'm not trying to be an obstructionist. I'm trying to see if there is an ability to get some of this local aid restored so that communities don't have to go to a burdensome tax increase," he said. "It's all about seeing what happens at 2 p.m."

Separately, convenience store owners have planned a State House rally at 4 p.m. to protest the tax proposals. While Governor Carcieri proposed the $1 cigarette tax, he has lashed out against the 2-cent gas tax hike.
Diesel pollution bill to be heard in House Environment today

Posted Apr 02 at 1 PM
From our friends at Clean Water Action:

PROVIDENCE – The House Committee on Environment & Natural Resources will hear testimony on the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, a bill to reduce pollution from major public works projects and the state fleet.

Similar legislation was introduced last year and passed the Senate before ultimately running out of time at the end of the session. This year, the bill’s sponsors, including Ray Sullivan are not wasting any time in setting diesel high on the environmental agenda.

Clean Water Action applauds the approach by Rep. Sullivan. “The state is about to receive a massive dose of funding for infrastructure improvements with the stimulus package coming in, and the choice is very simple: we either choose to reduce toxic pollution, while investing in growth, or knowingly invest public money in promoting a public health threat,” said Annie Costner, Campaign Organizer for Clean Water Action.

"The toxic gases and small particles in diesel exhaust are a serious threat to the health of all Rhode Islanders," said Molly Clark, Manager of Health Promotion and Public Policy for the American Lung Association in Rhode Island. "They can cause or make worse not only lung cancer and asthma, but other cancers, heart disease, and many other diseases. These bills are an important step toward cleaning up our air."

Construction equipment, onsite generators and other nonroad construction equipment produce more toxic diesel soot in Rhode Island than trucks, buses, or airplanes, making them a better target for clean up programs. Diesel particulate filters can capture up to 90% of the harmful toxins emitted from a diesel engine.

The City of Providence is currently considering a similar policy to reduce diesel emissions from municipal construction projects. Brown University already requires contractors to use emissions controls on their equipment and Rhode Island has a law in place requiring retrofits on school buses.

The House Committee for the Environment and Natural Resources meets today, Thursday April 2, at the Rise of the House.
Happy St. Patrick's Day

Posted Mar 17 at 1 PM
Warmly remembering Paul Crowley today and all his toasts, songs and laughter. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig
"Happy St. Patrick's Day!"
College Textbook Affordability Act to be heard this Wednesday

Posted Mar 16 at 12 PM
The House HEW Committee has scheduled a hearing on The College Textbook Affordability Act of 2009 this Wednesday. For years, publishing companies have been driving up the cost of higher education by printing new editions of books with little substantive changes and pulling previous editions from the shelves of college book stores accross the country.

You can read the letter I submitted to the committee here, then take a minute to send an email to Health Education and Welfare Committee Chairman Joseph McNamara and tell him you support this legislation that will help make more college textbooks and materials available and affordable.

While the reporter in the video below is a little over the top, the piece does a good job defining the problem and explaining why, despite the national effort and last year's Congressinal action, we should pass the legislation here. Anyone who bought textbooks at a Rhode Island college or university this academic year knows what I'm talking about.
In the spirit of the season...

Posted Mar 16 at 9 AM
There's been a lot said (and sang) about President Obama's Irish heritage, but I thought the Today Show's piece on his roots to Moneygall was pretty cool.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Even the Republicans know it's a bad budget

Posted Mar 11 at 5 PM
I caught House Minority Leader Bob Watson on WPRO this morning as he blasted the governor for crafting a lousy budget and while I didn't agree with a lot of what he said, I thought he made some really good points.

Traditionally, a member of the governor's party introduces the budget on his or her behalf. That means it falls to someone (usually the minority leader) to submit the budget bill, but he can't find anyone in the Republican Caucus to do it!

I can't blame them, I wouldn't want my name on it either.

Governor Carcieri has put together a tax and spending plan that relies on too many one-time fixes and gimics. He promised $130 million in tax relief that would supposedly bennefit ALL Rhode Islanders but that's not what he deilvered. The only "tax relief" he offered for next year would be the elimination of the corporate tax - once again, nothing for the middle class.

A couple weeks ago, me and 20 other representatiives sent a letter to Speaker Murphy saying we would not support any adjustment to the corportate or estate taxes unless it was coupled with some for of relief for the middle class. The governor's idea to phase that relief in over the next few years isn't good enough and a sad reflection on his priorities and I won't back it.

When the budget does arrive in the form of legislation, we should send it back to the governor and hold off on hearings until he comes back with a plan that is not only more grounded in reality but also provides relief to the working families of this state.
No committee hearings today

Posted Mar 11 at 4 PM
We just found out that all committee hearings have been canceled today due to the Assembly website being down for the last 48 hours. It was the right move considering the online bill postings are the primary way in which the public can track legislation of interest. I'm told the Senate made the same decion.

That means that the College Text Book Affordability Act, which was slated to be heard in House HEW today, will be heard at a later date. Below is the text of my letter of testimony I sent to the Committee.

March 11, 2009

Dear Chairman McNamara and the Honorable Members of the House Health Education and Welfare Committee,

I write today in regards to H5853 the “College Textbook Affordability Act.”

In the current competitive job market, it is critical to have a college education. The fact is, however, that for many students, such an education is becoming prohibitively expensive. College textbooks in particular make up a significant part of the cost of college, and are adding remarkably burdensome costs to the already excessive price of education.

For years, college professors and administrators have pointed out that publishing companies are engaging in practices that serve no other purpose than inflating the cost of textbooks. By regulating such actions, it is possible to stem that unnecessary inflation and adequately assist students in affording higher education.

The legislation I offer today is designed to provide students and professors with the information that they need to make informed decisions about the content of the textbooks they are purchasing. This will also stop publishers from releasing new editions of textbooks that make only limited changes to previous editions, and instead keep their products on the market for as long as possible without sacrificing the educational quality of the textbook. Besides disclosing all relevant information about the textbooks to the public, the bill will also ensure that the publishers stop the act of “bundling” textbooks together with supplemental material and instead guarantee to sell them separately. In addition, this bill encourages college and university bookstores to work with faculty to create cost effective ways of purchasing textbooks including book buy back programs and disclosing textbook costs prior to purchase.

By passing this legislation we can help more Rhode Island college and university students save money and achieve the dream of a higher education.

Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,

Raymond Sullivan
State Representative, District 29
ProJo covers the ID theft bill

Posted Mar 11 at 10 AM
This is the second year in a row I've worked with the AG's office on this legislation. A few years ago, a financial services company went out of business and skipped out of Coventry - literally in the middle of the night - and discarded the personal information of its customers in a unlocked dumpster behind thier office building.

"Dumpster Divers" essentially look to obtain that information and use it to illegally access a person's finances or even steal their identify.

Companies who are trusted with a person's private or financial information have a responsibility to make sure they are taking every appropriate and reasonable step to keep that information safe. I'm glad the ProJo noted we passed the bill last year in the House, let's hope we can convince our friends in the Senate to get behind it this year.

From today's ProJo:

PROVIDENCE — Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch is going after “Dumpster divers,” those bottom-feeding scoundrels who are often involved in identity theft.

For the second straight year, Lynch has proposed legislation that requires businesses and government agencies to destroy personal records and other information on customers rather than simply discard the documents in the trash.

The need for the law, Lynch said, was underscored by a recent settlement in which CVS-Caremark paid $2.25 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Health Insurance Portability Act when it failed to properly dispose of confidential medical and financial information.

Also, in the fall of 2007, a Coventry business dumped customer files with personal data in a Dumpster. A passerby recovered the files and called the attorney general’s office.

“These kinds of breaches point out how important it is for businesses to shred documents that may contain people’s private information,” Lynch said. “Identity thieves know where to look, and when businesses carelessly toss out personal records without shredding or taking other precautions … they’re practically holding an open house for Dumpster divers.”

Under current law, the state only protects those whose personal information was breached through a computer. There is no remedy for violations of inappropriately dumped personal information in paper records.

The new law, if enacted, would require companies to take reasonable steps — shredding or erasing — to make sure that sensitive information is indecipherable. Such information includes Social Security numbers, passports, bank accounts and drivers’ license numbers.

Businesses found not in compliance would be subject to civil penalties ranging from $500 to $50,000.

Companion bills are being sponsored by Rep. Raymond J. Sullivan and Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis, both Coventry Democrats.

“In this day and age, when identity theft is a well-known problem, it’s just common sense that any business that’s tossing out documents should shred them first,” Sullivan said. “If they don’t, they could be handing identity thieves all the information they need to wreak serious financial havoc upon their customers.”

Last year’s bill passed the House, but failed to get out of committee in the Senate.
General Assembly Website is down

Posted Mar 10 at 12 PM
I just heard that one of the servers may have crashed and we'll be given paper bills on the floor today and possibly even tomorrow. It's really frustrating not being able to access the floor calendar and see committee agendas.
Governor to unveil budget today

Posted Mar 10 at 12 PM
I'm curious to see what Governor Carcieri's tax and spending plan will include today and I'm also wondering who would be the largest benneficiary of his proposed $130 million in tax cuts.

The plan will be released at a 3:30 State House press conference.
Busy week ahead

Posted Mar 09 at 4 PM
I've got nine bills scheduled for hearing and consideration this week including one that would stengthen the Utilization of Unused Prescription Act.

Right now assisted living facilities and nursing homes throw away tens of thousands of dollars each month in unused meds that are sealed in blister packs. It didn't make sense to me that these drugs were being discarded when so many folks are struggling to afford their medication, so in 2005 we passed a law to create a temporary pilot program allowing facilities to partner with local community health organizations who can put the medication in the hands of people who need them the most.

Well, after more than four years, not enough has been done to alert community health organizations and the assisted living operations that this program is available. Two years ago, we extended the program and added a requirement that the Department of Health issue a written notice to every health center, assisted living facility and nursing home in the state informing them of the programs' existence. Last week, one of our staffers in Legislative Research called Health to ask for a copy of the notice they would have been required to send out two years ago - they couldn't produce it because it was never issued.

It's amazing that in a time where we're literally desperate to cut costs and increase efficiency, that this administration would be so slow and even unwilling to help promote such a common sense idea that literally seeks to prevent safe, unused prescription medication from being thrown away and instead gives it too those who are struggling to afford it.

That's why this year's version of the bill is going to be a little different and while I'm at it, I should thank Sen. John Tassoni for sponsoring an identical version in the Senate. Basically, we're still keeping the pilot program in place, but no longer making it optional. Now, instead of nursing homes and assisted living facilities paying a company to pick up and discard their unused medications, they'll have to find a community health center, like, Thundermist or PCHC. If the center doesn't have its own internal pharmacy, they'd be allowed to partner with a private one nearby, in the same way many of them run their 340b programs.

The has passed unanimously both times it's been up for consideration and I'm hoping my colleagues will again support it this year. It will be heard this Thursday in House HEW.

Here's what else is up this week:

Tomorrow in House Finance, they'll take up 5622 which would extend the same college tuition benefits afforded to activite military reservists that are currently given to other memebers of the armed forces.

On wednesday, I've got two bills up, one in House Finance and the other in House Health Education and Welfare. The first is the much talked about 5717, which would create a joint oversight committee to watchdog Rhode Island's share of the federal stimulus money. The other bill, 5853, is The College Textbook Affordability Act of 2009, and if you're in school or have a child in college, you'll want to get behind this bill. More on this tomorrow.

There's a lot happening Thursday with five bills slated to be heard in three different committees. First, it's back to House Finance where we'll make a case for 5621. Basically this is a consumer protection bill which prevents retailers from charging a person sales tax on item for which they've already paid for and are simply seeking an even exchange. You can see the story NBC 10 did on it here.

House Bill 5832 will also be heard in Finance and will focus on changes to the state's tax codes to ensure that large corporations pay their fair share of RI taxes. 5829 is up in House Environment and proposes adjustments in the renewable energey standards to make room for more platforms of development. And finally, 5648, is meant to promote more public education and awarness of the medical condition know as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
A word of thanks

Posted Mar 09 at 3 PM
I wanted to thank everyone who extended kind words and condolences upon the passing of my Nana,
Walerja McKennedy. We were all so moved by your phone calls, emails, texts and visits that I couldn't let the opportunity pass without publicy acknowleding what it meant to me and my family.

Thanks again for your support in such a difficult time.

-Ray