Rep. Jon Brien Co-sponsors Bill to Reduce State Mandates for Cities, Towns
Rep. John Edwards says "... communities can no longer afford to overstretch their resources in order to comply with state mandates."
The following is from a State House press release:
Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist.70, Portsmouth, Tiverton) has submitted a bill aimed at reducing the burden on cities and towns to comply with state mandates if they do not have enough funding.
Reps. Daniel Patrick Reilly (R-Dist. 72, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth), Samuel A. Azzinaro (D-Dist. 37, Westerly), Jon D. Brien (D-Dist. 50, Woonsocket) and Scott J. Guthrie (D-Dist. 28, Coventry) are co-sponsoring the bill (2012-H 7073).
“Our communities can no longer afford to overstretch their resources in order to comply with state mandates,” said Edwards. “We need some sort of compromise in place until the cities and towns are on better financial footing.”
During any given fiscal year when state reimbursements to local communities and school districts are “insufficient to cover the costs of state mandates,” those affected may cease implementation of state mandates at their discretion up to 50 percent of the value of the reimbursement shortfall.
The Department of Revenue would ultimately make the determination if a city, town or school district did not have sufficient funds to cover the costs of those mandates.
If enacted, those looking to cease implementation of those mandates would have to be in good standing with existing personnel contracts or renegotiate to the satisfaction of both parties. Affected parties would also go in with the understanding that implementation of state mandates must be restored upon the full restoration of state reimbursements.
John
3:07 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Good for you Jon...thank you
Steve
3:39 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Hey Baldelli-Hunt, what's your stand on this issue? Keep fighting your good fights as our cities and towns go into bankrupsty! Good job Jon, now, just get the state to get off our backs on this water treatment plant issue and waste water plant issue that will bury us, and you'll be doing something!
Yvette M Ayotte
3:59 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Thanks Jon,
You fight hard for Woonsocket and it's citizen's and we thank you!!! Keep up the fight.
Carol
5:25 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Thank you Rep. Edwards for submitting this bill and thanks to Rep. Jon Brien and other Reps. for co-sponsoring and supporting such a noteworthy initiative. Let the state use their surplus to aid cities and towns where such mandates are implemented but fiscally unsupported.
Thomas Graves
6:14 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Sounds great: Jon against the big bad state, who just happens to fund a good portion of the city's budget.
I just wonder how this grandstand play will benefit the Brien enterprises
Jon is in the game for Jon, et al. We will see.
John
6:28 pm on Sunday, January 15, 2012
"Brien Enterprises" what are you talking about. Jon is about the only honest player in the GA
John
9:13 am on Thursday, January 19, 2012
tom do you understand what this bill is about ? In order to get state aid the state mandates that the citues and towns put certain programs in place. the state then cuts funding, in most cases the mandates cost more than the money received. this bill states when the cost of the mandate is more than the money received that the cities and towns can end the mandate, but when the state aid is restored the mandate goes back in place.
Jerry
9:45 pm on Sunday, January 15, 2012
So far so good John, but you along with many others voted for pension reform because the state was in a fix for bad investments with people's pension money, and once again the "working class" gets screwed, but why don't you and Lisa Baldelli put legislation in on "welfare reform"? Working people are being penalized, let's go after people who make a living, living off of the working class who supports them?? Isn't the fund that pays welfare more in the hole than pensions? No one challenges this, and this is why people are disgusted with politics. Please do something for the "working" people for a change..
Thomas Graves
7:14 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
John, right! And the Pope (the most honest person on earth) never knew about pedophile priests. All I said is that the one paying the most (state) should have a say on how it should be spent! If you don't like the mandates, pay the bill yourself.
Tom
Lavergne
6:04 pm on Monday, January 16, 2012
I agree, no one addresses "welfare reform". Why? Perhaps people on welfare are the only ones that vote for these reps, because they outnumber working class people. Isn't it a shame that most of them lie just to get votes, but in reality, only care about votes, they really don't care about the working class people, nor the elderly.