A fresh start. That’s what members of the state Legislature get when they arrive at the State House this coming Tuesday, Jan. 4.
We hope they take advantage of it.
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As 2004 draws to a close, the big political news is whether Rep. John J. DeSimone, a Providence Democrat, will garner enough votes to unseat Speaker of the House William J. Murphy. By Rhode Island standards, it’s a pretty good tussle.
It’s all good theater. But we urge the House Democrats to settle their differences by Tuesday and get on quickly with the business of the state. There is, after all, much to be done.
Lawmakers – Democrats and Republicans – need to support legislation that strengthens our economy and helps to create a climate in which jobs can be created. Small-business owners continue to cry out for tax relief and for less expensive alternatives for insuring their workers. The state’s growing deficit must also be addressed.
Nationally, there are signs of the economy improving. Here too, there are positive signs.
The Providence renaissance seems to have officially restarted. Work is under way for a GTECH headquarters – the first office building to be built in Providence in 16 years – and workers have also begun to transform the Masonic Temple into a Marriott Renaissance Hotel. On Westminster Street, the Hotel Providence – a longtime dream of developer Stanley Weiss – is about to become reality. And all over the capital city old buildings are being transformed into luxury apartments – a sign that soon, hundreds of new residents will call Providence home.
The General Assembly, to its credit, has played a major role in sparking the development of all of these luxury apartments by passing an historic tax credit program. Developers point to that program as a key component in making the transformations of these old properties possible.
We hope that the 2005 legislation is ultimately remembered for bold economic initiatives, rather than petty politics.
Consider reducing workers’ comp costs
The state Department of Business Regulation should give serious consideration to the numbers it has received from the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The NCCI is a national trade organization that routinely reviews claims data and recommends adjustments to workers’ compensation premium rates.
After looking at three years’ worth of data for Rhode Island, the NCCI determined that workers’ compensation rates should be cut by an average of 18 percent.
If in fact the statistics suggest that Rhode Island businesses are paying more for workers’ compensation insurance than they should, then a reduction in rates would not only be a welcome benefit to businesses across the state, but quite simply, the right thing to do.
