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Priorities

Read about Senator Ujifusa's priorities below.  

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See sponsored legislation here.

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

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  • As shoreline communities, both Portsmouth and Bristol face significant threats from climate change and sea level rise.  

  • We need to make sure the state continues to build on the Act On Climate and fund mitigation and resiliency work to protect our citizens.

  • We must also stop environmentally damaging actions, including building more fossil fuel infrastructure, burning plastics as "recycling," and ignoring PFAS contamination.

UNIVERSAL COMPREHENSIVE AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE  

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  • Healthcare is a human right - it should not be available only to those who can afford it.

  • Pre-Covid, over 40,000 Rhode Islanders had no health insurance and many more had inadequate insurance; putting Rhode Islanders at serious risk of illness or death. 

  • Covid clearly showed that health insurance should not be tied to employment.

  • Middlemen private insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are making enormous profits restricting your care while hospitals are closing due to financial pressures.

  • Medicare for All single payer is the only program that can secure universal, comprehensive, affordable care - which we are already paying for, but just not getting.

  • Read articles on Medicaid Managed Care Organizations and Pharmacy Benefit Managers. co-authored by Linda Ujifusa

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING  

 

  • The skyrocketing costs of housing are pushing seniors, young people and families out of Portsmouth and Bristol.

  • Many people who work locally, including teachers, first responders, and essential workers, cannot afford to live locally.

  • Affordable housing must be created so future generations can live in the communities they call home.

  • One-time handouts will not fundamentally solve housing problems.

  • Tax breaks for wealthy developers and luxury housing must end.

  • We need to take a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of why affordable housing is not available.

STRONG PUBLIC EDUCATION  

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  • Every student should have a right to a quality education that teaches them basic skills needed to accomplish their future goals and be critical thinkers - regardless of their family income or whether they choose an academic or vocational path.

  • The most important factor influencing businesses to locate in a state is whether there is an available educated and qualified workforce. 

  • We must increase investments in public schools, limit charter school funding, stop unfunded mandates, and make sure the school funding formula is re-drafted to fairly distribute state aid.

SAFER ROADS

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  • State roads are clearly in disrepair and the needed work - especially when identified as high priority in state safety audits - should be put on a fast track.

  • The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), including funding for pedestrian and bicycle paths, must have its funding restored.

  • The Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) must have a more transparent and open process for determining priority projects and schedules.

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GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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  • The public should be given more meaningful opportunities to affect legislation and budget proposals, including hybrid meetings that allow remote participation.

  • Big donors and lobbyists should not control the legislative process and determine which legislation gets passed.

  • Information about legislation and positions legislators take on legislation should be more easily available to the public.

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FAIRER TAXES

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  • In 2006, the RI General Assembly passed legislation to cut taxes for the wealthiest Rhode Islanders.

  • There were no "trickle down" benefits and the tax burden just shifted to the middle class by forcing municipalities to raise property taxes.

  • People making more than $450,000/year pay a lower percentage of their taxes than middle and lower income Rhode Islanders.

  • The 2006 tax cuts for the wealthiest Rhode Islanders must be reversed to better fund the needs of our most vulnerable citizens.

PROTECTION FROM U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISIONS

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  • Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions limit a women's right to choose (Dobbs), state gun safety laws (New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen) and the federal government's ability to combat climate change (West Virginia et al. v. U.S. EPA).

  • It is imperative that the RI General Assembly pass legislation that counteracts these decisions to protect the health and safety of Rhode Islanders.

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MORE RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE INTERNET SERVICES

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  • The COVID pandemic starkly illustrated our dependence on reliable and affordable internet services.  

  • Although the current state budget creates a broadband director within the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation and provides for a $25 million match for federal grants available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other federal programs, it is important to ensure such money is used prudently and effectively to benefit all Rhode Islanders.

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