RI PowerPlayer: Senator Louis DiPalma

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

GoLocalProv News Team

 

View Larger +

Senator DiPalma

Every week, GoLocalProv shines the spotlight on one individual who is making an impact on Rhode Island.  This week, GoLocalProv sat down with Senator Louis P. DiPalma, Democrat who represents District 12, which includes Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, and Tiverton. DiPalma is the First Vice Chairman for the Senate Committee on Finance, and sits on the Senate Committee on Education. DiPalma also serves on the Division of Developmental Disabilities Regulation and Funding Structure Redesign Working Group and the Long Term Care and Delivery System Reform Work Streams with the Working Group to Reinvent Medicaid.  

You currently serve as the State Senator for District 12, the First Vice Chairman for the Senate Committee on Finance, and on the Senate Committee on Education, just to name a few. Can you tell us a bit about your political involvements in the state?

In addition to serving on the Senate Committee on Finance and Education I previously served on the Senate Committee on Oversight.  I currently serve as the Co-Chairman of the Joint Municipal Shared Services Study Commission, Co-Chairman of the Special Legislative Commission on Defense Economy Planning, and Chairman of the Special Senate Commission to Study the DMV.  I Co-Chaired the Senate DCYF Task Force and the Senate Study Commission on Sustainable Transportation Funding and was a member of the Special Legislative Commission to Study the Funding for the East Bay Bridges.
Prior to getting elected to the RI Senate in 2008, I served on the Middletown Town Council for two terms, for a total of four years, from 2004 to 2008.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

What have you felt has been your biggest accomplishment as a Rhode Island politician?

I don’t consider my accomplishments as a Rhode Island politician to be solely mine.  Legislative accomplishments manifest themselves as a result of a combined team effort both in the Senate and House alike.  I believe my focus on policy first and fiscal second, driven by facts and data, has permitted us to make objective-based decisions that are good in the short and long term.  

Among the accomplishments that I have been able to achieve alongside many, many partners are: progress towards improving efficiencies through the sharing of municipal services and towards a stronger defense economy; requiring “complete street” design for new roadways that incorporates different types of users, such as motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians; passing school safety legislation into law, and enactment of legislation to remove tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge and establish a holistic, comprehensive funding stream for road and bridge repair.

Governor Raimondo has appointed you and other community leaders to be members of the Working Group to Reinvent Medicaid to improve health care services and lower costs. Can you tell us a bit about the problems that the current Medicaid system in Rhode Island faces?

The Reinvent Medicaid Working Group is chartered by the Governor's executive order to recommend short term changes and address the long term structural challenges facing Rhode Island's Medicaid system.

As presented by Secretary Roberts at the Working Group Kickoff, “Based on data from 2011, Rhode Island has the second highest Medicaid cost per enrollee in the US and is 60 % higher than the national average.  We are consistent with neighboring states, including eligibility, services covered and unit cost of services.  RI is an outlier with respect to utilization.  Our opportunity is to reduce the inefficiency and waste of overutilization which drive our overall costs.  At a macro level, 7% of the RI Medicaid enrollees, approximately 16,147 individuals, consume 66% of the Medicaid spending, approximately $1.1 billion.”  

Our charge is to focus on three initiatives, including program oversight/administration, rate reductions to providers or health plans and payment/system delivery reforms.  

Overall, we ultimately need to find upwards of $200M in Medicaid savings.  For the most part, for every dollar RI spends on Medicaid, we receive 50 cents from the federal government.   Based on that, we’ll realize the needed $90 M + which comes out of the General Fund.  

What is your role in the Working Group to Reinvent Medicaid? How has your work as State Senator for District 12 helped you for this role?

To accomplish the Reinvent Medicaid Workgroup charge, four work streams have been formed.  I’ve been assigned to the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) Regulation and Funding Structure Redesign Working Group and the Long Term Care and Delivery System Reform Work Streams.  

During my tenure in the Senate, I have been assigned by the Senate President, M. Teresa Paiva Weed, to the Senate Committee on Finance, serving as the 1st Vice Chair these last 2 sessions.  During my time on the Finance Committee I have had a keen focus on the Health and Human Services budget, and as we all know, Health and Human Services are the largest portion of our budget.  While the fiscal component of Health and Human Services is important, it is paramount we have the right policy.  Policy needs to drive the conversation.   It’s only when we have the right policy that we’ll be able to ensure we’re making the right investment.

The group has been hosting town hall meetings throughout Rhode Island to hear the ideas and concerns of the public. How have those meetings shaped the decisions the group will be making for the budget recommendations on April 30? Have you found the public to be vocal about this issue?

Three of the four town hall meetings have been held, including one in Woonsocket, Peace Dale and Providence.  The fourth and final town hall meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 1, in Newport.  From my perspective, I believe the meetings are providing rich feedback which will better inform the short-term and long-term recommendations and shape the Fiscal Year 2016 and out year budgets.  We have quite a bit of work to accomplish to achieve the April 30th and July 1st goals.  Failure is not an option.

Do you have any role models?

Yes, I have a set of them.  I look to both my paternal grandmother and grandfather and think of them often, as both have passed many years ago.  My grandmother emigrated from Italy in 1911 at the age of 16, coming to America as the only member of her family.  My grandfather emigrated from Italy in 1913, at the age of 25, also by himself.  Having lived next door to my grandmother for 21 years, I witnessed her commitment to family, strong faith, unparalleled ethic for hard work and genuine concern and support for those less fortunate in our society.  

While I never knew my grandfather, as he had passed several years before I was born, my father, aunts and uncles and especially my grandmother would frequently share stories of my grandfather.  From the stories shared, it was clear to me how he any my grandmother married.  He also had a commitment to family, strong faith and unparalleled ethic for hard work.  Additionally, he successfully completed the requirements of becoming a citizen.  In fact, some 90 years ago, in 1925, he completed his First Year of two in preparation for becoming a citizen, including some 72 sessions in the Reading and Writing of English, Civics and American History.  My grandmother would frequently share, in her very special way, how committed my grandfather was to becoming a US citizen and how proud he and the entire family were when he ultimately became a US citizen.  I view this First Year certificate daily just prior to exercising on my elliptical.  

What is your favorite thing about Rhode Island?

My favorite thing about Rhode Island is our rich history, architecture and above all our diverse natural heritage, including our vast coast line.

Best thing you ever ate in Rhode Island?

The best thing I’ve ever eaten in Rhode Island, and have eaten it several times, is veal parmigiana and sfogliatelles.  

Favorite quote?

FDR, in 1937 – during his 2nd inaugural address, spoke the following words, and I quote, “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.”  

 

Related Slideshow: The 10 Most Politically Powerful at RI State House

View Larger +
Prev Next

#10 - Sen. Da Ponte

The Senate Finance Chairman pushed hard in 2014 for corporate tax reform -- and combined reporting -- and was recently reappointed to his fourth term at the helm of the committee that vets the state's budget. With House Speaker Mattiello's talking about eliminating the state income tax on social security, a budget deficit and the prospect of diminishing gaming revenue, Da Ponte will have his work cut out for him chairing the powerful Senate committee. 
 

View Larger +
Prev Next

#9 - Rep. DeSimone

One of the most powerful political players in Providence, the Majority leader wields his influence at the state house as part of Speaker Mattiello's team. Serving in the chamber since 1992, DeSimone rose to his current position with the ouster of former Speaker Gordon Fox in 2014. He will be a pivotal player at the State House for the City of Providence (and new Elorza administration), as the state grapples with a projected $200 million budget deficit, and Providence needs a strong advocate to appeal for what it can.  
 

View Larger +
Prev Next

#8 - Bob Goldberg

The former Minority Leader continues his position as one of the state's top lobbyists, representing a wide range of clients that last year included Lifespan, GTech, Johnson and Wales, and CVS Health, to name a few. Year in, year out, Goldberg -- who is married to RI Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg -- parlays his State House knowledge and connections for his well-funded clients, who in the past have included Twin River when it successfully pushed for table games on the ballot in 2012.

(Goldberg pictured at right.)

View Larger +
Prev Next

#7 - Bill Murphy

The former Speaker of the House continues to wield unparalleled influence as a lobbyist and behind-the-scenes king maker.  While he last served as the state's most powerful elected official until 2010, Murphy's ability to exert control at the State House was evidenced by backing now-Speaker Mattiello when the battle to replace Gordon Fox took place.  Murphy's lobbying clients range from the corrections officers to payday lending to Twin River.

View Larger +
Prev Next

#6 - Sen. Paiva Weed

The Senate President, who has been at the chamber's de facto top post since 2008, faced a strong challenge this past election season from Newport's Mike Smith, who had been an outspoken opponent against a table games expansion at Newport Grand -- a decision which Paiva-Weed ultimately came to following the rejection of a host agreement by the Newport City Council.  Paiva Weed in her opening address of this year's General Assembly session promised to make jobs and the economy her top priorities, followed closely by education.  With the school construction moratorium schedule to expire in May, watch to see how Paiva-Weed works with the House and Raimondo administration to address the burgeoning infrastructure needs.
 

View Larger +
Prev Next

#5 - Sen. Ruggerio

The Senate Majority leader was first elected to the chamber in 1984, after four years in the House, and was Senate majority whip from 2003 to 2010. An administrator for the New England Laborers Labor Management Co-op Trust, Ruggerio's labor ties have helped cement his position of power in the Senate. Despite two arrests, Ruggerio has emerged relatively unscathed, advancing the legislation establishing the I-195 Redevelopment Commission, and pushing for increased parking in downtown Providence by the Garrahy judicial complex

View Larger +
Prev Next

#4 - David Cruise

Governor Raimondo's newly chosen Legislative Director should prove to be much more than that.  While Raimondo tapped former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley staffer Stephen Neuman to be her Chief of Staff, the out-of-towner might bring in a fresh perspective, but Cruise knows the lay of the land. Having a Rhode Island political resume that includes serving as a State Senator, Governor Sundlun's Chief of Staff, and top roles at the RI Resource Recovery Corporation and as a traffic court magistrate, Cruise's policy role, while his official one, will be just one in his advisory capacity for the newly elected Governor.  
 

View Larger +
Prev Next

#3 - Leo Skenyon

The Speaker of the Houses's Chief of Staff is the gatekeeper -- and like his predecessor before him, Frank Anzeveno (under former Speaker Gordon Fox), Skenyon is the key to access the Speaker. Skenyon, a former top aide to Governor Bruce Sundlun and U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell, had most recently been the Traffic Tribunal Clerk.  The former Chief of Staff to Senate-Majority leader Jack Revens in the 1980s, Skenyon has been at the helm before in orchestrating the chamber's top office.  Skenyon enters his first full session at the post along with Mattiello as the agent behind the state's biggest power broker.  

View Larger +
Prev Next

#2 - Gov. Raimondo

The state's 75th governor -- and first woman at the helm -- marks the first return of a Democratic head-of-state since Governor Bruce Sundlun entered the office in the winter of 1991.  Raimondo however won with just 40.7% of the vote, which gave her the plurality, but not a mandate.   Bringing in a number of outsiders for key positions, and shaking up multiple Department directors, the Raimondo administration looks markedly unlike any in recent years.  How successful Raimondo is in pushing through her agenda in the first six months will go a long way to determining how powerful she will be in the next four years. 

View Larger +
Prev Next

#1 - Speaker Mattiello

The Speaker of the House has always wielded the most power in Rhode Island, and Speaker Mattiello is now the de facto head of state for the second -- and first full -- year.  Mattiello emerged from the 2014 session earning plaudits from a wide range of supporters for pushing through a cut in the corporate income tax and changes to the estate tax.  Now, as a new General Assembly has just gotten underway, Mattiello is eying eliminating the state income tax on social security, before the Governor has submitted her budget proposal.  Look to see what the Speaker can -- and will -- accomplish in 2015.  

 

Related Articles

 

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

 
 

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook