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The state’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget includes three expansions to the RI Works program that mark a major milestone in our state’s commitment to supporting vulnerable families. The budget includes an increase to the earned income disregard, allowing families to keep more of their income from wages without losing benefits. This supports working parents and provides a crucial incentive for them to pursue job opportunities and improve their financial situation while still receiving essential support. The budget also includes the repeal of full family sanctions, a punitive measure that has been proven to disproportionately harm children and push already struggling families deeper into poverty. A key highlight of this budget is the 20 percent increase to the monthly cash assistance payments, bringing the maximum monthly benefit for a family of three to $865 per month.
In 2021, the General Assembly passed the first increase in the cash benefit in 30 years, bringing the maximum monthly benefit for a family of three to $721 per month. This improved the economic well-being of more than 5,000 children. However, rampant inflation has since diminished the value of these benefits. This decrease in value has left too many children in deep poverty.
The FY25 budget’s 20 percent increase to monthly cash assistance payments effectively restores the benefit amount to 2021 levels.
The Raising RI Coalition will be advocating next year to protect this investment from inflation by indexing the benefit amount to at least 50 percent of the federal poverty level. This would help bridge the gap between deep poverty and a standard of living that allows families to meet their basic needs, and it would not cost the state any money thanks to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families federal block grant. This would give children a fair chance at a better future, and allow parents to pursue employment and educational opportunities without the constant, draining fear of financial insecurity.
The Raising RI Coalition commends the House and Senate finance committees, whose actions ensured that the improvements to the RI Works program were included in the FY25 budget. This work could not have been done without the unwavering dedication and hard work of state Senator Melissa Murray and state Representative Arthur Handy, lawmakers championing the RI Works program. The coalition is also thankful to both chambers and their leadership for recognizing the importance of these vital expansions, and for their continued support.
As we celebrate the progress made in the FY25 budget, let us also look ahead with determination. These improvements will make a substantial difference in the lives of our most vulnerable children by helping them achieve greater stability and security. As we move forward, it is imperative for all stakeholders — community members, advocacy groups, and policymakers — to rally behind protecting Rhode Island families and children from deep poverty and the effects of inflation. By doing so, we can ensure that Rhode Island not only protects its most vulnerable residents but also sets a precedent for compassionate and effective social policies. With collective effort, we can create a more equitable and supportive Rhode Island for all.
Paige Clausius-Parks is executive director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, and Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies is executive director of the Economic Progress Institute.
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
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