freedom

House Finance Committee: Stenhouse Testimony Against Governor’s Corporate Medicaid Tax proposal

Written Testimony by Mike Stenhouse
Opposing “Medicaid Employer Assessment” Tax 
Providence, RI – The CEO of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, Mike Stenhouse, today submitted written testimony to the House Finance Committee prior to its hearing this afternoon on the “Corporate Medicaid Tax”, proposed by the Governor in her 2020 budget proposal.
“Businesses should be applauded for hiring low-income workers, not punished,” wroteStenhouse. “Job-producing employers should not be blamed and burdened with this unfair tax to help pay for the bad decision the General Assembly made in 2012 to rapidly expand Medicaid enrollment.”
The testimony also point out that in a state struggling to attract business and families, and tragically destined to lose a prized US Congressional seat because of its relative loss of population; and a state already with a bottom-5 ranked business climate … this new business tax would make matters far worse.
Of most concern, the legislation may actually end up working against some of those it is intended to help. As with the pending pay equity legislation, many employers have privately warned that they may simply avoid the potential costs and legal risks by hiring fewer women, minorities, or low-income workers.
Additionally, there is ample evidence that this proposed legislation will cause “hardship” for Rhode Island businesses – as it already has in Massachusetts.
Earlier this year, the Center dubbed this progressive legislation, which punishes employers for hiring workers who may be enrolled in Medicaid, as the Bad Bill of the Week.
The full post and a PDF of Stenhouse’s testimony can be viewed here.
Other Bad Bills: An interactive table of other progressive bad bill candidates, as well as well as posts and video commentary on previously tabbed “progressive bad bills of the week” can be found at RIFreedom.org/Bills2019.