AS220 Stinktank fora

Do you ever feel like the newspaper and the legislature are filled with conversations that don't really matter to you? You're worried about finding an affordable place to live and figuring out how to get a job with health benefits, but the legislature is talking about how many slot machines should be allowed in Newport.

Join us for a series of conversations that ought to be happening in the legislature: policy proposals about the things that really matter in our lives.

Back to the RI Policy Reporter home page.

November 30Shoveling against the flood: Affordable housing and the Real real estate market
Inclusionary zoning, and other tools cities have to promote affordable housing, and a look at the realities of the housing market and how they affect affordability.
Featuring Mike Lozano of Elmwood Neighborhood Services and Brenda Clement of the Housing Network
Press Release
January 18 Paying for education: How little is too much, and how much is too little?
On the question of adequacy, what responsibilities does the state have, what about the cities? The unions? Press Release Featuring Stephen Robinson, Attorney at law, and Bob Walsh, executive director of the National Education Association, RI Chapter
February 15Choices for funding our government: the bad ones and what we can do instead
Is there a better way to raise the money we need to run the state than the way we do it now? Property tax/revaluation reform. Featuring Ellen Frank of the Poverty Institute and Harvey Waxman, dentist on a mission from righttax.org.
Press release, poster.
March 15 Taking care of everyone: How we can get to universal health care in RI
What is the best way to get universal coverage?
April 26 Fake Economic Development and the other kind too
What constitutes real economic development, and does Rhode Island currently do any of it?
May 17 Burning it up: The Future of Energy in Rhode Island
Rising gas and electric prices. Conservation, efficiency, alternate sources.

These fora are presented as "policy proposals that should be in the legislature, but aren't, presented before a committee of people who should be in the legislature, but aren't." Think of it as hearings before the Select Committee on whatever of the House of Unrepresentatives. After the hearing, the committee can vote on whether the policies should be recommended to the legislature they're not in.