Rhode Island Representative David Segal



Key Issues

Rather than express this repeatedly below, let me note here that the work that I've done has been successful only because I've worked alongside engaged advocates, unions, neighborhood associations, and non-profits. These groups include:
  • The Fox Point Neighborhood Assoc, Friends of India Point Park, the Jewelry District Assoc, the Downtown Neighborhood Alliance, the Fox Point Senior Center, the Fox Point Boys and Girls Club, and the Library Reform Group;
  • Clean Water Action, the Sierra Club, Environment Rhode Island, the Green Party of Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group;
  • Ocean State Action, Marriage Equality RI, Rhode Island Jobs with Justice, the Family Life Center, Direct Action for Rights and Equality, the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, FairVote, and the ACLU;
  • SEIU, UNITE-HERE, UNAP, USAW and the rest of the progressive labor movement.
  • And countless student groups, and others.
I'm grateful to have worked in coalition with these organizations, and look forward to continuing to do so. (And don't mean to imply that all of the above groups have endorsed my candidacy.)

The Environment

  • I support the development of robust renewable energy, and have sponsored and co-sponsored many bills towards this end, including 'net-metering' legislation, legislation requiring the utility to contract with renewables providers, tax credits for people and businesses who want to install renewables installations;
  • I support improved public transit, and sponsored and supported many bills to that end, including legislation that incentivizes public employees' use of RIPTA, and requires colleges and universities to provide RIPTA passes for their students;
  • I founded the Green Jobs Alliance, which has brought together organized labor, environmental advocates, and anti-poverty activists, to push for renewable energy, better transit, and 'green' economy in RI;
  • I've supported improved open spaces: During my time on the City Council I oversaw the creation of the Fox Point Community Garden, and improvements to most of the neighborhood's parks. During this year's session, I voted against the Assembly's leadership, to support an Open Space Bond.

Taxes

Rhode Island has a regressive tax structure -- meaning poorer people pay a greater percentage of their income in taxes than do wealthier people. When the state cuts taxes for the wealthy, it passes the buck to cities and towns, which are then forced to raise regressive property taxes.

I've sponsored countless bills to make our tax code fairer by:
  • Rolling back targeted tax cuts for the very wealthiest RI'ers;
  • Restoring the capital gains tax to 5%: The capital gains tax is overwhelmingly paid by people in the highest quintile of the income spectrum;
  • Increasing so-called 'circuit-breakers' -- property tax rebates for those with incomes below certain levels.

Education

Rhode Island has some of the poorest education funding structures in the nation: We have no predictable funding formula; funding isn't correlated directly to the need of the districts; the state contribution to education is second-lowest in the country (the state funds about 38% of education, with cities picking up the rest of the tab, while in most states that ratio is flipped); and we have the second-highest rate of education funding via the property tax.

This dynamic means that cities -- including poor cities like Providence -- are forced to pick up an unfair share of education funding costs. And given all of this, how can we be surprised that our schools are in crisis?

I've advocated to fix all of the above, by:
  • Leading the charge -- against the Assembly leadership -- to increase funding for schools during the 2007 budget fight, and voting against level-funding;
  • Advocating for a fair funding formula;
  • Pushing for consolidation of services and districts, in order to achieve economies of scale and align the interests of poorer districts with those of wealthier districts.

Housing

I've been an advocate for affordable housing since my time on the City Council, where I pushed through legislation creating Providence's affordable housing trust fund and fighting the predatory lending practices that have helped yield today's foreclosure crisis. I also steered thousands of dollars in funding to advocates for Providence's homeless population.

In the Assembly, I've overseen the passage of legislation to expedite permitting for affordable housing projects, introduced legislation to reign in housing speculation, pushed for increased funding of the Neighborhood Opportunities Program, and more.

Health Care and Social Services

Following from RI's budget crisis, many regressive cuts to health care and social services were proposed and made over the course this year's session. I'm proud to say that no member of the House voted against more of those cuts than I did.

I support universal (single-payer) health care, and have pushed back against cuts to RIte Care. I've also worked to secure continued funding of long-term care, state Social Security payments, and the Family Independence Program.

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

  • Co-sponsor of marriage equality;
  • Pro-choice;
  • Proud to have stood against the anti-immigrant hysteria that's taken hold of RI in recent years;
  • Advocated for criminal justice reforms, including ensuring due process for those on probation and pushing for an end to the Rockefeller drug laws.

Electoral and Governmental Reform

  • Co-sponsor of clean-elections legislation;
  • Supporter of 'separations of power' measures;
  • Advocated for 'pre-registration' for 16- and 17- year olds;
  • Sponsored 'National Popular Vote' legislation;
  • Co-founded FairVote RI.



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