Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2018

Allan Fung’s ‘Standing Up for Small Business” plan will include:

Giving struggling businesses a break:

If a small business can demonstrate that it is not turning a profit, that business shall pay no minimum tax that year.

Stopping the practice of harassing audits:

Business owners shouldn’t have to stop their lives for harassing audits that interrupt business operations for weeks and months.

Stop penalizing the transfer of a business from one family member to the next:

The inheritance tax on the transfer of a family business from one family member to another will be ZERO, provided that the business stays in operation for the next five years. A “claw-back” provision would be instituted, if the business is moved out of state or sold within the five-year period.

Maximizing Federal Funds for Entrepreneurs:

We’ll include state matching funds in the budget for the Center for Women & Enterprise and Veteran’s Business Outreach Center, in order to leverage and maximize federal dollars. This will help to increase technical assistance for emerging small businesses.

Common Sense Limitations for Tax Liabilities

We’ll institute a 10-year statute on the ability of the state to collect back tax liabilities. Currently, Rhode Island has no statute.

Reducing Interest on Back Taxes

We’ll work to reduce the 18% interest rate on past due taxes to be more in line with other states.

Institute the Previously Announced Low Fee Guarantee

In the first six months of Fung’s administration, he will comb through every single occupational licensing, permitting, and business incorporation fee we charge, and make them the lowest in New England.

THESE GUIDING PRINCIPLES WILL HELP OUR STATE’S SMALL BUSINESSES THRIVE AND GROW IN RHODE ISLAND. GONE WILL BE THE DAYS OF PROVIDING TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES TO A FEW SELECT FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES WHILE FORGETTING ABOUT THE HEART AND SOUL OF OUR STATE’S ECONOMY.

WE SHOULD CONCENTRATE OUR EFFORTS ON SMALL BUSINESSES, AND LEVERAGE DOLLARS TO INSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE ACCESS TO CAPITAL THAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE
We have 306 public schools in Rhode Island, with hard-working teachers and excited students. Every one of those students is supposed to board the school bus every morning and come home that afternoon safely.

But lately, parents have had to endure watching too many episodes of school violence across this country. Moms and dads come up to me at all kinds of events, and ask, “What more we can do?” We can’t possibly sit back and give more security protection to politicians on Smith Hill than we give our children and think that’s OK.

Executive orders and sheets of paper are not going to stop criminal madmen from committing criminal acts. Just think of airports. We prevent weapons from getting on airplanes not by a sign on the door, but by TSA agents and security.

In Cranston, we have four school resources officers, conducted threat assessments, started upgrades, and added police details. But I want to do more.

TODAY I’M ANNOUNCING THAT AS GOVERNOR, I’M GOING TO SPLIT THE COST WITH EACH CITY AND TOWN TO FUND A SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER, OR POLICE DETAILS, FOR EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL. THAT’S A 50/50 SPLIT, AND UP TO THE CITIES AND TOWNS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. I’LL SUPPORT ENABLING LEGISLATION TO ALLOW RETIRED OFFICERS AND MILITARY POLICE TO BE PART OF THAT FORCE.

What’s the cost? There are 306 public schools in RI and I’m considering that a school resource officer’s salary and benefits would be roughly $80,000 per year when looking at cost profiles.

At $80,000 per year x 306 schools = $24,480,000. The state’s 50% share would then be $12,240,000.

I examined the past few budgets and found one specific department that is completely out of control with its spending and needs to be reined in, and that’s the General Assembly.

UNDER RAIMONDO’S WATCH, FROM 2016 TO 2018, THE GA BUDGET INCREASED BY $9.4 MILLION DOLLARS OR ROUGHLY 25%. TWENTY-ONE INDIVIDUALS UNDER THE PURVIEW OF THE JCLS – THE ORGANIZATION THAT RUNS THE OPERATIONS OF THE ASSEMBLY – MAKE OVER $100,000 PER YEAR (FY 2019), WHEN THE GA IS ONLY IN SESSION FOR SIX MONTHS PER YEAR. THEY ALSO HAVE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS MAKING MORE THAN MOST MAYORS ($90,000/YR).

They’re going to need to learn to live within a sane budget so that our kids have the security these politicians enjoy when they’re at school. The remainder of the funding will come from reining in overspending in other departments as well.

Additionally, for one year, we’re going to jump-start school safety upgrades and spread it out equally. We’re not going to have some application and committee to decide who gets the fund and who doesn’t. Every school is going to be eligible for $30,000 for safety upgrades, and the schools will be able to say what safety the equipment works best for that school. This isn’t a one-size fits all approach – there will be lots of local control. However, this will be a reimbursement method so that it does not get abused and used towards other capital expenses. The idea is to rapidly improve safety mechanisms inside the schools, while cities and towns build room in their budgets for more long-term upgrades. Examples of such equipment include video monitoring, door intruder defense systems, a bullet-proof film for windows, etc.

The cost will be $9.1 million dollars, and be taken out of the School Building Authority’s Capital Fund.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ALLAN’S ECONOMIC PLAN

Allan is sick of seeing Rhode Island ranked as the “Worst Possible State to Live In” and the “Worst State to Do Business”. As Governor, Allan will roll up his sleeves and get our economy back on track by working to make Rhode Island the land of startups and small businesses, and an attractive place for companies to expand into.

For starters, he’s going to lower taxes. In Allan’s first term, he wants to responsibly lower the sales tax each year to end up at 5%, or the lowest in New England (outside of New Hampshire which doesn’t have one).

He wants to keep Rhode Islanders shopping in Rhode Island so that we can keep jobs and local businesses here.

AS GOVERNOR, ALLAN WILL WORK TO REDUCE TAXES AND CUT THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS IN RHODE ISLAND. INTRODUCING, THE LOW FEE GUARANTEE.

In the first six months of Allan’s administration will comb through every single occupational licensing, permitting, and business incorporation fee we charge, and make them the lowest in New England! He’ll also make it easier for startups, by waiving all fees for their first year in business.

Rhode Island charges you $230 just to file articles of incorporation, but in New Hampshire, it’s only $100, in Maine $145. Let’s get even more specific, in order to get an Auto Body Repair shop permit, it costs $900 in Rhode Island, but only $450 in Massachusetts. All this does is foster stronger border towns in Massachusetts at the expense of Rhode Island businesses. This is also the case for occupational licenses which are not in line with neighboring states. This is part of the problem for many disparities that affect the working class.

ALLAN WANTS BUSINESSES TO BE ABLE TO SAY, “HEY LOOK, RHODE ISLAND IS CLEANING UP ITS ACT AND NOT TRYING TO STICK IT TO US AT EVERY TURN.” THAT TYPE OF ATTITUDE AND CULTURE CAN ONLY BE CREATED WHEN YOU DO THE LITTLE THINGS RIGHT.

While making it less expensive for businesses, Allan will also work to make it the friendliest state to do business. Introducing the BUSINESS CONCIERGE PROGRAM, which has been key to making Cranston one of the Top 50 Cities in America.

The Business Concierge Center is a one-stop location for startups and business owners, walking them through the business development process from business plan to ribbon cut as quickly and as stress-free as possible. A business owner will be working with the same economic development professional from start to finish – helping them cut through red tape and letting them know what they need to do right from the start, instead of running into time-consuming roadblocks because one department isn’t talking to another.

ALLAN ALSO BELIEVES THAT RHODE ISLANDERS PAY TOO MUCH IN TAXES FOR US TO DREAD INTERACTING WITH THE GOVERNMENT THE WAY WE WOULD DREAD GETTING A ROOT CANAL.

Allan grew up in a family of small business owners so as Mayor of Cranston, he championed initiatives that would help and motivate small business owners. Allan remembers seeing his own dad dig into his own pockets to make sure payroll was met and have to deal with the newest fee or tax that would be added on the backs of small businesses. Many small businesses are at their breaking point. That’s why Allan can’t understand how Governor Raimondo can justify helping billionaires from out of state before taking care of the small business guys who have been struggling here for years.

It’s time to put Rhode Islanders and our local businesses first!

GOVERNMENT REFORM
ALLAN’S THREE PART GOVERNMENT REFORM PACKAGE: BULLDOZING SMITH HILL

1. 1: FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURAL CHANGES:

Years of shenanigans have led Rhode Islanders to have many reasons to be cynical. It’s time to restore faith and confidence in RI government, and the Inspector General is a big part of it.

Allan believes that our government should be held accountable for every taxpayer dollar spent. As Governor, Allan will work to eliminate fraud, waste and corruption by creating an Office of the Inspector General which will be responsible for conducting investigations into agencies in the executive branch. This office will also provide recommendations, conduct policy analysis, and provide training to the agencies that need it.

Next, in a twist on the old saying, if no one changes, then nothing changes. It’s hard to innovate and capitalize on our creative state when we have the same individuals in the same positions on Smith Hill for twenty or thirty years. Allan will be proposing Term Limits for the Legislature much like we have in Cranston. An individual can serve up to a maximum of five consecutive two-year terms (10 years) in any one elected office. It’s great to have new faces and new ideas in new capacities, making RI stronger.

It’s also time to end the studying and other delay tactics, and finally give the Governor the Line Item Veto authority. It’s worked for Cranston, it will judiciously improve legislation. It’s a strong measure that will hold elected leaders accountable for every taxpayer dollar spent, and Rhode Islanders deserve it.

1. 2: SOCIAL SERVICES

ALLAN WANTS TO GIVE ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WHO HAVE FALLEN UPON SOME HARD TIMES A HAND UP BECAUSE RHODE ISLAND IS BETTER WHEN WE PUT EVERYONE’S TALENTS TO GOOD USE.

That’s why Allan will be proposing stronger work requirements for the RI works program, or as many people know it, welfare. Currently, “job searching” counts as meeting the 20-hour a week requirement.

Under the Fung administration, Allan will strengthen the requirements so that any able-bodied adult, aged 18-59, will be required to either work, be enrolled in a job training program, or perform community service at least 20 hours a week to receive welfare benefits. Exemptions would be proposed for anyone with a chronically ill child, a parent with a dependent child under the age of 5, or those with acute medical issues.

But, it Allan’s top priority is to fix the disastrous UHIP system that Raimondo has repeatedly failed to address. Allan wants to protect funds for financially fragile households, but he also want to prevent abuse of welfare programs. He’ll be implementing a policy to use a Photo ID for EBT cards, closely following the Massachusetts model. This common-sense reform is long overdue and is being embraced by many states nationwide after Federal clarifications in 2016.

1. 3: ELECTIONS REFORM

POLITICAL LEADERS & THEIR COMMITTEES SHOULDN’T GET SPECIAL TREATMENT.

Allan believes that everyone should be held accountable for their actions! As of March 2018, elected officials, candidates, and political committees owe over 3.6 MILLION dollars in fines to the people of Rhode Island for overdue reports. Eight individuals owe more than $100,000 each.

In order to hold our elected officials accountable, Allan will work to make sure that anyone who has outstanding Board of Election fines, cannot appear on the ballot again until they are paid, or have entered into a payment plan with the Board.

As Mayor of Cranston, Allan has been very vocal about his frustration with the emergency ballot abuses. As Governor, he’ll work to make sure that all voters absolutely must show photo identification when coming to City Hall to fill out an emergency ballot. If it’s a requirement on Election Day, it should be a requirement any other day of the year.

It takes someone from outside the Marble Dome to shake things up and right the ship here in Rhode Island, and that’s why I want to be your next Governor!

VETERANS AFFAIRS
ALLAN’S PLAN FOR OUR VETERANS

As Mayor, Allan has been at the forefront of listening to and caring for his local veterans. Under his leadership, Cranston became the first community in Rhode Island to provide a property tax exemption for its disabled veterans.

But despite its famed Naval history, the way Rhode Island has treated our veterans is a travesty. Currently, Rhode Island is ranked the worst in the country for job opportunities, and worst for access to VA health facilities per veteran. It is also one of only nine states to still tax military pensions.

So here’s what Allan is going to do:

MAKE MILITARY PENSIONS TAX EXEMPT

Over a two year period, we’ll phase out the tax on military pensions. We want these leaders to stay in our state and invest money in local businesses, not hand it over directly to state government.

EXPAND LOCATIONS FOR OUR VETERANS AFFAIRS OFFICES

Even though Rhode Island is a small state, public transportation difficulties can make it hard to get around. While it’s great to have a Veterans Affairs office with people who care, if you can’t get there, it does little good. We’ll expand these services from one office to three, and look to place them in places where vets visit naturally, like community health centers. Outside of the one in Warwick, we’ll look to add one up north, and one in the East Bay.

EXPAND JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR VETERANS

Currently, there are many national programs designed specifically for veterans that simply haven’t blossomed in Rhode Island.

Allan gets to cut the ribbons on so many small businesses in Cranston, and recently there’s been more veterans creating their own job opportunities by opening their own ventures. Many of Allan’s economic initiatives like cutting the sales tax, instituting a low fee guarantee on state permits and licenses, and instituting a business concierge program will help our veterans. Additionally, entrepreneurship training courses like Boots to Business, an SBA initiative currently only offered through the Center for Women & Enterprise, needs to be more available.

In the world of education, programs like Troops to Teachers can be helpful in taking veterans with real life STEM and high-tech construction experiences, and translating them into careers as teachers in career and tech schools.

He’ll also ensure that veterans hiring preferences in state government and at the universities are in place and being adhered to.^[37]

Jobs and the Economy
Our economy is strong when Rhode Islanders can get good paying jobs, wages are growing, construction is booming and everyone who works hard has the opportunity to get ahead. Under Gina’s leadership, Rhode Island has gone from number 49 to number one in the nation for rising wages, there are more people working than at any time in the past 10 years, and our unemployment numbers are on par with the national average (they were some of the highest in the nation when she took office).

Small businesses are the engine of our economy. Gina is committed to supporting Rhode Island businesses — that’s why we’ve made significant investments to help small businesses and local manufacturers.

For the first time in a long time, companies are moving here and expanding here because they want to hire Rhode Islanders. A combination of job training and business incentives has ignited our comeback.

In the last two years, we have recruited or expanded 24 companies that would have gone somewhere else, but today are on track to hire more than 2,000 Rhode Islanders at an average salary of more than $70,000.

New companies means new construction and cranes in the sky. Under Gina’s leadership, Rhode Island has among the fastest annual construction job growth of any state in America.

Early Childhood Education
Excellent early childhood education puts kids on the path to lifelong success. In the three years since Gina took office, there are three times more four-year-olds from low income communities participating in Rhode Island’s public Pre-K. Rhode Island’s preschool programs are among the best in the United States, and our enrollment rates have increased by 70 percent in the past year. As governor, Gina has more than doubled the state’s investment in high-quality, public Pre-K programs.

All families deserve access to excellent childcare, so Gina has taken direct action to ease the financial burden and give peace of mind to low-income working families. Under her leadership we’ve seen the largest increase in Child Care Assistance funding in a decade, and Gina’s latest budget calls for additional investments in improving childcare quality.

K-12 Education
Our kids succeed when they go to great schools with excellent teachers and get a world-class education. No one in Rhode Island history has made a larger investment in our state’s public schools than Gina. From kindergarten through high school graduation, Rhode Island students have more opportunities to thrive than ever before.

As governor, Gina guaranteed all-day kindergarten for every child in Rhode Island. She committed to more than doubling the number of kids who read on grade level in third grade by 2025 — a key indicator for improving high school graduation rates. And since today’s kids need some understanding of coding and digital literacy to compete in the 21st century, Gina made Rhode Island the first state in America to teach computer science in every public school.

Gina is investing in every Rhode Island student so they can graduate high school and have the opportunity to go to college. Thanks to Gina, the PSAT and SAT are free in Rhode Island — and now 20 percent more high school students are taking college admission tests.

But college isn’t for everyone, and everyone deserves a good job. High school students who don’t plan to go to college should graduate with the advanced skills they need to be successful and ready to compete for today’s in-demand jobs in healthcare, construction, computer science and more. Rhode Island, under Gina’s leadership, is leading the nation in expanding career and technical education opportunities. High schoolers are graduating with additional degrees, certifications and licensures, prepared to join the workforce immediately.

Gina ended the state funding freeze on school repairs and construction. Now, she is leading the way to pass a once in a generation school funding package to fix, upgrade and build public schools throughout Rhode Island. There are priority needs in every district — students and teachers deserve schools that are warm, safe and dry.

Higher Education and Job Training
Every hardworking Rhode Islander must have access to the training and education they need to keep up and get ahead — with or without a college degree. Gina is making record investments in education and job training so that every hardworking Rhode Islander can keep up and get ahead in today’s economy.

The top reason cited for not going to college is the the cost, so Gina led the effort to make Rhode Island one of just five states that offers tuition-free access to community college. Thanks to Gina, more than 1,500 additional Rhode Islanders enrolled at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) this year — a 43 percent increase.

College isn’t for everyone, but everyone deserves a good job. So Gina created new career and technical training programs in and beyond high school. Rhode Islanders at every stage of their career can get the skills, degrees, certifications and licensures they need for today’s in-demand jobs in healthcare, construction, computer science and more.

Rhode Islanders who complete training programs are matched with local employers in need of talent. Gina’s leadership is a win-win for Rhode Island employers and employees.

Healthcare
Everyone deserves access to high quality, affordable health care.

Under Gina’s leadership, 96 percent of Rhode Islanders have health insurance and our premiums on the state health exchange are the lowest in the country.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is working in Rhode Island. We have one of the highest insured rates in the U.S. When Washington tried to tear Obamacare apart, putting the lives of Rhode Islanders at risk, Gina spoke out and stopped them. Gina will not let Washington take away our health care.

Gina is committed to combating the overdose crisis in Rhode Island — it remains our most urgent health crisis. Gina was one of the first Governors to appoint a dedicated senior adviser to focus full-time on the overdose crisis and our Overdose and Prevention Action Plan has been hailed as a national model. Under Gina’s leadership there has been a decline in overdose deaths in Rhode Island — but even one death is too many, we must keep going.

Roads and Infrastructure
Rhode Islanders deserve safe and well-maintained roads and bridges. When Gina took office, Rhode Island ranked dead last in bridge condition in America — one out of four bridges in our state was crumbling. She made a commitment to fix our roads and bridges and put thousands of Rhode Islanders to work.

Under Gina’s leadership, we have already fixed more than 75 bridges and roads, in every community in Rhode Island, as part of a 10-year, $4.7 billion investment in the state’s infrastructure. The construction industry is back at work repairing and rebuilding Rhode Island.

Energy and the Environment
Climate change will have a big impact on our small state. We have to do all we can to protect Rhode Island’s precious resources.

Governor Gina Raimondo is making sure that every Rhode Island family can enjoy our bay, beaches, forests and wetlands for generations to come.

In her first term, the Governor set an ambitious goal: Make Rhode Island’s energy system ten times cleaner by 2020. With less than two years to go, we’re well on our way to meeting our goal.

Rhode Island is the only state in America with an offshore wind farm and this year Gina announced a new offshore wind project to provide enough energy to power over 200,000 Rhode Island homes and create more than 800 good jobs at every level. Green energy jobs have already increased by 66 percent under Gina’s leadership.

Our state is ranked third in the nation for energy-efficiency programs and policies under Gina. Since 2014, the number of solar companies in Rhode Island has increased from six to 48 and homeowners and businesses across our state are benefiting from incentives to install solar.

Gina has been an environmental leader in our country and region. She endorsed a more aggressive reduction in emissions through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a strong, regional approach to combat the climate crisis. When President Trump withdrew our nation from the Paris Climate Agreement, Gina entered Rhode Island into the United States Climate Alliance and committed to uphold greenhouse gas reduction goals despite D.C.’s action. And when the Trump administration threatened to open up Rhode Island’s coastline to offshore oil exploration and drilling, Gina went directly to Washington to protect the Ocean State.

Gun Violence Prevention
School is the last place a parent should have to worry about their child’s safety. Gun violence has become far too common in the United States and Gina believes that if the federal government won’t take action to prevent gun violence and keep our kids safe, states must act. Without action, thoughts and prayers are meaningless.

In 2017, Gina was proud to champion and sign The Protect Rhode Island Families Act, which prohibits gun possession by individuals convicted of domestic violence crimes, and requires that all guns in their possession be turned in upon conviction.

Gina was the first Governor in the country to sign a Red Flag Executive Order after the school mass shooting in Parkland, Florida — ordering police to take all available legal steps to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals.

She is with Rhode Islanders demanding a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines like those used in Parkland, Las Vegas and Sandy Hook and she is championing legislation to make schools more secure, healthier and safer.

Gina has never taken a dollar from the NRA and she never will.^[37]

WHERE JOE STANDS: All of my life I have been a fighter for the principles I believe in. Rhode Islanders know where I stand and that I stand firm on my ideals. While candidates for governor declare their intentions to bring change, whether Democrat or Republican, few have the political will to fight and make the tough decisions; I will. What matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. As your governor, I will work and fight every day to bring that change to Rhode Island.

Other candidates will avoid stating their positions or change them based on political convenience. As your governor, I pledge to do what I say, as I have done all my life in business and in government. These are some of my key positions which I pledge to fight for as governor:

1. SHED THE IMAGE OF A SANCTUARY STATE

2. REDUCE TAXES THAT WOULD KEEP PEOPLE FROM LEAVING OUR STATE

3. PAWSOX – NO TAXPAYER MONEY SHOULD BE USED

4. MAKE RHODE ISLAND A MORE BUSINESS-FRIENDLY STATE

5. A 2% CAP ON WHAT CITIES AND TOWNS CAN RAISE IN PROPERTY TAXES IN A YEAR

6. SHRINK STATE GOVERNMENT THROUGH ATTRITION

7. ROOT OUT WASTE AND FRAUD IN OUR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BUDGET

8. ELIMINATE STATE-MANDATED CAR INSPECTIONS

9. WORK TO REFORM OUR SCHOOLS BY PUTTING DISCIPLINE BACK IN THE CLASSROOM

10. IMPOSE STRICTER PENALTIES FOR ANIMAL ABUSE

11. STOP TYING THE HANDS OF OUR POLICE

12. INFRASTRUCTURE – REBUILD OUR CITY AND TOWN ROADS

13. WORK WITH THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO BRING MORE FEDERAL DOLLARS TO RHODE ISLAND

14. SALES TAX HOLIDAY ON THE SAME DAY THAT MASSACHUSETTS HAS THEM

15. THE POWER PLANT IN BURRILLVILLE SHOULD NOT BE BUILT^[37]