2019 NEWS & PRESS

MAKING IT HARDER TO CATCH VOTER FRAUD

Warwick, RI - Today, a House committee is scheduled to vote on legislation, H5925, which will only require the birth year of voters rather than their birth date be provided to the public. Date of birth of voter information can be used by citizens to prevent or identify voter fraud by ensuring voters are not registered at more than one location and deceased voters are no longer eligible to vote.

Chairwoman Sue M. Cienki commented: “After spending the last few months passing special interest legislation that will hurt property taxpayers, the General Assembly is about to pass a bill pushed by progressive legislators that will make it harder to detect voter fraud. For example, in 2006, it was discovered through use of date of birth information that there were 10,000 duplicate voter registrations and an additional 5,000 voters were actually dead. Only through the use of date of birth information were thousands of voters made ineligible to vote.”

Cienki concluded: “Rhode Island does not need fewer safeguards against voter fraud; it needs more. Making it easier for voter fraud to occur, will only make it harder for Rhode Islanders to trust their government.”

posted by | 289sc
May 28, 2019

Protecting E-911 from politicians

Every month, Rhode Islanders pay a 911 fee on their phone bills, but most of the funds raised by this fee do not go to the E-911 system. Instead, every year, millions in 911 fees are diverted to pay for other expenses in the budget.

For over a year, Rhode Island politicians have been receiving unwelcome attention from federal officials for being one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to diverting the 911 fees from the E-911 system. Last year, while visiting Rhode Island, Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O’Rielly declared the diversion of 911 fees to be “effectively stealing.” Last month, because of its diversion of 911 fees, Rhode Island was informed that it was ineligible to receive federal grant funding to upgrade the technology of its E-911 system.

Gov. Gina Raimondo appears supportive of placing 911 fees in a restricted account to be used only for the E-911 system but has not proposed it in the budget. House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello seems unwilling to put 911 fees in a restricted account because it could lead to “corruption.”

Meanwhile, House Republicans have proposed legislation to require 911 fees to be placed in a restricted account and to give the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission the authority to reduce the 911 fee if the funds are not needed to operate the E-911 system. This proposed legislation may seem novel, but it is a return to the way the E-911 system was funded a generation ago.

Back in 1984, the General Assembly passed legislation to create the E-911 emergency call system. The Public Utilities Commission was given the authority to set the 911 fee charged to telephone customers to pay for the system. Subsequently, in 1986, the General Assembly required that all the revenues collected by the 911 fee be placed in a restricted account which could only be used for the E-911 system.

In 1989, the Public Utilities Commission set the 911 fee at 42 cents a month on each telephone line. The funds raised from 911 fees went exclusively to pay for the E-911 system. In 1992, the Providence Journal reported that Rhode Island’s E-911 system was operating so well that Massachusetts public safety officials viewed it as “a model to emulate.”

About that time, Rhode Island politicians began to tinker with the 911 fee. In 1992, the General Assembly transferred the authority to set the 911 fee from the Public Utilities Commission to the General Assembly. The next year, the General Assembly raised the 911 fee from 42 cents to 47 cents a month. However, over the next few years, the amount raised by the 911 fees was approximately how much was spent on the E-911 system.

By Steven Frias, Rhode Island’s Republican National Committeeman, a historian and recipient of The Coolidge Prize for Journalism.

posted by | 289sc
May 23, 2019

RHODE ISLAND NEEDS AN INTERVENTION ON 911 FEES

For Immediate Release

May 20, 2019

RHODE ISLAND NEEDS AN INTERVENTION ON 911 FEES

Warwick, RI - Last month a Federal Communications Commissioner notified Governor Gina Raimondo that because Rhode Island is diverting millions in 911 fees from the E-911 system, Rhode Island was ineligible for federal funding to modernize the technology of its E911 system. On May 16, 2019, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello responded on WPRO by declaring that “we are not losing any federal dollars” for the E-911 system. Furthermore, Speaker Mattiello stated a restricted account for 911 fees would lead to “corruption”.

Chairwoman Sue M. Cienki commented: "It appears that Speaker Mattiello is challenging the FCC over 911 fees. He is doing this because he, like other State House politicians, are addicted to bad fiscal policies like diverting of millions in 911 fees every year from the E-911 system. This has been going on for nearly two decades. It appears Rhode Island needs an intervention from the federal government to break its addiction to misspending 911 fees.

Cienki added: “It is laughable that Speaker Mattiello would suggest a restricted account for 911 fees would lead to corruption. In fact, the 911 fees were originally placed in a restricted account for over a decade without any problems. Instead, State House politicians have corrupted the use of 911 fees by diverting them to help subsidize the General Assembly’s bloated budget, which pays for legislative grants and the salaries of political operatives.

Cienki concluded: “I commend House Republicans for proposing legislation that will put 911 fees into a restricted account and could lead to a possible reduction in the 911 fee. They are putting the taxpayers first!”

posted by | 289sc
May 20, 2019