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Keeping Seniors Strong: Attend Senior Agenda Coalition of RI annual legislative leaders forum
The Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island invites you to attend their annual Legislative Leaders Forum on Wednesday, March 27th from 10:00-11:00 AM at the Plaza Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI.
The Forum is sponsored by United Healthcare. The theme for 2024 is “Keeping Seniors Strong”. The Coalition will present legislative and funding proposals important for older adults’ quality of life and programs to assist them in staying connected to the community and to live safely and affordably at home.
The RI Speaker of the House, Joseph Shekarchi, and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio will be attending, and the group will be asking them to support their 4 priority budget requests:
Economic Security – helping with Medicare premium costs
Supports to Remain at Home – reducing wait lists for home care
Community Connections – increasing support for local Senior Centers
Housing – expanding options and access for Seniors.
The Forum will begin with a presentation of the Senior Agenda’s legislative and budget priorities for 2024 by Maureen Maigret, the Senior Agenda’s Policy Advisor. Maureen brings a wealth of both policy and political expertise to this role. She has served as Director of RI Department of Elderly Affairs, Chair of the Aging in Community Subcommittee of the RI Long Term Care Coordinating Council, and was a five term State Representative from Warwick.
The Legislative presentation will be followed by personal stories, selected in advance, from older adults, caregivers and senior care workers affected by these issues. Hearing directly from those experiencing these situations and putting a face to the critical needs is impactful to truly understand these challenges. Amplifying these narratives helps to drive attention to the priorities, helping to communicate to legislative leaders the importance of these budget requests.
For the last portion of the Forum, legislative leaders Speaker of the House Shekarchi and Senate President Ruggerio will speak and respond to the group’s legislative requests.
Forum Participating Organizations:
Cranston Senior Enrichment Senior Center, Edward King House, Leon Mathieu Senior Center, Meals on Wheels of RI, Ocean State Center for Independent Living (OSCIL), Pilgrim Senior Center, RI Organizing Project, St. Martin de Porres Center, and The Village Common of Rhode Island.
How You Can Help
Attend the Forum! Bring a friend or two. A large turnout of supporters on March 27 will help ensure these issues are prominent on the agendas of legislative leaders.
Do you have a story to share? Or know someone who would be willing to share their story about the need for these important investments in seniors? Whether you feel comfortable speaking at the event or would like someone to share your story, they want to hear from you. Email: [email protected] or call the Coalition at (401) 451-8158.
The event is free to attend, but advanced registration is required. Register at senior-agenda-coalition-ri-legislative-forum-2024.eventbrite.com or visit the Senior Agenda’s website at www.senioragendari.org and click the registration link. You can also register by phone at (401) 451-8158.
An ASL Interpreter will be present.
It is important for legislators to hear the group’s priorities and why they are critical to the quality of life for our older adults in RI, so don’t miss this opportunity to show your support and ensure these issues are prominent on the agendas of our elected officials. The Coalition hopes to fill the Crowne Plaza Ballroom on March 27 to send a powerful message to legislative leaders that – Seniors Matter!
Join the Coalition in their mission to improve the quality of life for older adults in Rhode Island.
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In 2011 the General Assembly passed pension altering legislation based on an alarm that the state pension plan was failing according to the then treasurer, Raimondo. She issued a document entitled Truth In Numbers exposing the failure of the state to fully fund its required contributions to the pension fund for several preceding years dating back to 1990. Raimondo called it an emergency! The ensuing legislation strangled cost of living adjustments to retiree pensions indefinitely, established caps on the pension base, increased the number of years that an employee must work to qualify for a pension, and established what is known as the Rule of 95. It also created a ‘defined contribution’ provision to offset the significant decrease in the existing defined benefit plan that had existed since 1936 as an alternate state managed Social Security program. State law requires all state workers, all public school teachers, and all municipal workers to contribute to the state-managed retirement fund. It is 2024 now, 13 years after the ‘emergency’ that Raimondo and the General Assembly generated these ‘save the pension’ measures. Several independent studies have verified, without contradiction, that the emergency never existed, that Truth In Numbers was full of untruths. The current pension fund has more than 10 Billion dollars in assets, and yet the ‘emergency’ still exists and the draconian measures are still in effect. One would have to wonder what our elected leaders have been doing for the last 13 years to address the so-called ‘emergency’ that still exists and is projected to last for at least another 7 years unaddressed. An auditor, in the immediate past year, reported that there is a 54% chance that the emergency will be over in 2031. Maybe what he is really saying is that he expects enough retirees to die by then and their pensions will dry up. Social Security was initiated by FDR in 1935 as a buffer to protect workers when they are elderly and less able to work. Almost everyone contributes to their Social Security fund while they are working to provide for their needs when the finally retire. Social Security provides a cost of living adjustment every year based on the increase in the cost of living. The state pension doesn’t. The cost of living has increased by almost 40% since 2011. A dollar then is only worth 60 cents now. Ask your legislators, when will the ‘emergency’ end and our public service servants, state workers, teachers, and municipal workers, begin receiving their cost of living again. The General Assembly is in session now; tell them to reinstate the pension they choked down 13 years ago.
The current federal government (President & Congress) have been mis-appropriating tax dollars on frivolous items and foolish policies and have made POLITICS the name of the game in carrying out positive, appropriate public decisions that can better our society and stabilize our global existence ….. we have many fools currently as elected officials and are mis-guided with our precious tax dollars, lives and lifestyle …. today’s SENIORS need to be attended to whether it be Home Care services, Hospital costs, Nursing Facilities maintenance, even Group Home management …. be careful … choosey on who you VOTE for in the next election cycle …