NEW: Common Cause Calls for more Public Deliberation on Pension Bill
Monday, November 07, 2011
Common Cause Rhode Island once again calls on the General Assembly to release all proposed amendments to the Retirement Security Act of 2011 48 hours in advance of their consideration. With Friday's announcement by General Treasurer Gina Raimondo that she will offer 37 amendments to the bill, now is the time for both the House and the Senate to assure the public that the process will be transparent. It is expected that the respective finance committees will soon take up the bill and possibly amend it at the committee level. Without the opportunity to examine the amendments the public will not be able to contact their representatives and voice their opinions.
"While the General Treasurer has deemed her proposed amendments to be purely 'technical' in nature, at least one appears to make a major change that was the result of an erroneous factual assumption affecting the substance of the original legislation," says John Marion, Common Cause executive director. "The original version of the bill assumed the State Police receive Social Security benefits, when in fact they do not. The need for a close public examination of this bill and any further proposed amendments has never been more apparent." The discrepancy in State Police benefits was only brought to light by media scrutiny, something future amendments will not have if they are not released in advance.
When the House of Representatives introduced the Retirement Security Act on October 18th (unlike the Senate) it passed a special rule requiring all floor amendments be submitted to the General Assembly staff 48 hours in advance. Common Cause believes those amendments, as well as amendments that may be proposed at the committee stage must be made public in advance of adoption or rejection. To do otherwise will undermine the ability of citizens to communicate with the elected representatives, and will erode public trust in the legitimacy of the legislative process. Changes to the bill should be discussed openly, not only in official or unofficial private political party caucuses, and the amendments should be subject to necessary public scrutiny before final consideration by each chamber of the General Assembly.
