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Senior Agenda Coalition of RI Unveils 2026 Legislative Agenda at Annual Briefing

Published in RINewsToday on March 16, 2026

At its 10th annual Legislative Leader’s Forum, the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island (SACRI) unveiled its 2026 legislative agenda. More than 160 participants, including older adults, advocates, and state and federal officials, gathered at Gaige Hall at Rhode Island College for the event.

The event, “Voices of Advocacy — Anchors of Hope,” addressed the challenges facing Rhode Island’s growing older population and the policy changes needed to improve affordability, health care access, housing, and community supports.

The briefing opened with remarks by Rhode Island College President Jack R. Warner, SACRI Board Chair, Kathleen McKeon, and Executive Director Carol Anne Costa, who served as host. 

Costa began with a thank you to Rep. Joseph Solomon and Senator Mark McKeeney (who were present) for introducing the bill creating the Office of the Elder Advocate.  SACRI Policy Advisor Maureen Maigret outlined an Affordable Policy Agenda. Other speakers included representatives from the Rhode Island Coalition for Elder Justice, Economic Progress Institute, and Rhode Island Organizing Project.

A number of top elected officials followed, including U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman Seth Magaziner, Gov. Dan McKee, State Treasurer James Diossa, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, and Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, who discussed previous and current legislative efforts affecting older Rhode Islanders.

Rhode Island’s Aging Demographics

“One in five Rhode Islanders is 65 or older,” Maigret said, adding the state is also among the top five for residents 85 and older.

The share of residents 65 and older rose from 16% in 2016 to 19% today. Maigret reminded officials that older residents are a powerful voting bloc. In 2024, over one-third of ballots were cast by older voters.

Nearly 73% of households led by those 65 and older own their homes, while 28% rent. Housing costs burden 31% of older homeowners and 52% of renters, who spend over 30% of their income on housing.

Around 4% of older Rhode Islanders live in nursing facilities, and about 485 aged 55+ are unhoused including 164 persons aged 65+.

Older adults drive Rhode Island’s economy: 40% of the workforce is 55+, about 40,000 provide unpaid family care, and approximately 45,000 volunteer formally in their communities.

Residents aged 50 and older contribute $27 billion annually to Rhode Island’s GDP. Social Security brings $3.9 billion into the state each year, with every $1 in benefits generating about $2 in economic output.

Despite these contributions, financial insecurity persists. Older adult poverty has increased and now exceeds 11%, and nearly a quarter of older households live on less than $25,000 a year.

A healthy single older homeowner without a mortgage needs nearly $29,000 annually to cover basic expenses, exceeding what about a quarter of older households have.

SACRI’s Legislative Priorities

Maigret said affordability is the central challenge facing older residents especially those with modest incomes, and SACRI has organized its agenda around four “building blocks”: health care, economic security, housing, and community supports.

Eliminating the $9,950 asset limit for the Medicare Savings Program is a top priority. SACRI recommends removing this limit entirely to allow more low-income residents to qualify for help with Medicare costs.

 “In 2025 the legislature raised the income eligibility to about $27,000, this year we want to take the next step,” Maigret said. “And the next step is to eliminate the very restrictive asset test.”

Maigret also urged lawmakers to fully fund provider rate increases as recommended by the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, specifying that these funds are needed to close workforce shortages in home care.

These increases address shortages of home care workers. The coalition also urges nursing home cost-of-living adjustments to the federal 3.1% recommendation, ensuring increases reach frontline workers.

Additional SACRI recommendations include increasing funding for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to expand oversight and supporting an all-payer Primary Care Investment Target to increase access to primary care.

To address Rhode Island’s housing shortage, SACRI recommends a housing bond of at least $120 million, with a requirement that at least 30% be allocated to populations including older adults, persons with disabilities and the homeless. SACRI further urges that new residential developments be required to include more accessible units than the current 8% rate.

Maigret called for stronger support for caregivers and community services. Proposed policies include a caregiver tax credit up to $1,000, increasing the Medicaid home care asset limit, funding homemaker services, awarding a state grant to the Village Common of Rhode Island to aid aging in place, and establishing an Office of the Elder Advocate.

Other Policy Concerns

Nina Harrison, policy director at the Economic Progress Institute, argued that Rhode Island’s tax system places a heavier burden on lower-income residents.

“The lowest-income earners in the state pay a higher portion of their wages in taxes than the top income earners,” Harrison said. She supports creating a new tax bracket for annual income above $640,000, which she said could generate about $203 million annually for public services.

Ray Gagné of the Rhode Island Organizing Project called for restoring recent service cuts at the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority and creating a stable, long-term funding source for the system.

Lawmakers Respond

House Speaker Shekarchi shared a personal story about caring, along with his siblings, for their 100-year-old father with Alzheimer’s disease, stressing the importance of allowing older adults to age in place.

“Everything is a compromise. Everything is a negotiation,” Shekarchi said of the legislative process. He highlighted recent state investments, including $18 million to keep Roger Williams and Fatima hospitals operating, $12 million added last year to nursing home funding to address workforce shortages, and more than $40 million to increase reimbursement rates for primary care physicians.

Shekarchi also pointed to legislation allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) as a step toward addressing the state’s housing shortage.

“That’s a big benefit,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Ciccone said lawmakers are considering 17 bills to make health care more affordable and accessible. “Throughout this session, we will evaluate the financial burdens facing Rhode Islanders and the programs they rely on,” Ciccone said.

Gov. McKee argued that his “affordability for all” plan would benefit all Rhode Islanders, with key provisions for seniors, including the complete elimination of the state tax on Social Security and policies to control rising utility costs.

The Governor outlined several proposals in his budget, including increasing funding for senior centers by $200,000 for a total of $1.8 million and phasing out the state tax on Social Security income over three years, beginning with lower-income residents.

His budget also includes $9.5 million to assist nearly 10,000 residents whose HealthSource RI insurance premiums have increased sharply.

State Treasurer Diossa gave an overview of agency programs spanning the age spectrum, from baby bonds to retirement planning. He noted that his Secure Choice retirement program addresses the needs of the 40% of private-sector workers who lack access to retirement benefits.

At the federal level, Sens. Reed and Whitehouse warned that changes to federal policies could threaten Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner also called for federal action to lower costs, including expanding Medicare drug price negotiations and creating tax incentives to increase the housing supply. He also announced plans to pursue bipartisan legislation to establish a permanent House Select Committee on Aging. “Seniors deserve a dedicated forum in Congress focused on the challenges they face,” Magaziner said.

SACRI’s Costa ended the Forum with a call to collective action, urging attendees to leverage their influence for unified advocacy on behalf of older adults and people with disabilities in Rhode Island.

Let’s make our voices heard and ensure Rhode Island’s leaders are held accountable for advancing these critical priorities. Together, we can drive lasting change and truly roar for progress.

Two Attendees’ Perspectives

Mary Lou Moran, director of Pawtucket’s Division of Senior Services/Leon Mathieu Senior Center, said the briefing successfully brought together leaders from across government to focus on the needs of older residents.

“The continued work to eliminate the Medicare Savings Program asset limit, create an Office of the Elder Advocate, and expand funding for programs such as the Long-Term Care Ombudsman and Medicaid home care was all highlighted,” Moran said.

Moran emphasized legislative and federal efforts to support older adults and expressed optimism that the initiatives discussed will drive progress in the next session.

“The Governor’s FY 2027 State budget is fully committed, has little new revenue & substantial federal cuts in the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Housing Voucher & food subsidies will leave an unresolved budget hole,” says North Kingston Resident David R Kaloupek. Kaloupek, 87, asks: “How will the Rhode Island General Assembly narrow its spending targets for the state’s most vulnerable, frail older adults, nursing home residents, home care beneficiaries, and unhoused older Rhode Islanders?  When the dust settles after the upcoming legislative sessions conclude, we’ll see who will be helped and who will be abandoned.”

A final note…  The coming together of aging advocates and Gov. McKee, the House Speaker, and Senate Majority Leader might just create the political will to support key parts of SACRI’s legislative agenda, such as eliminating the Medicare Savings Plan asset limit, the state tax on Social Security, or creating an Office of Elder Advocate, which could significantly boost the chances of those proposals becoming law. The agreement between aging advocates and state lawmakers on several fronts suggested a strong potential for legislative progress on senior issues in the upcoming session.

SACRI’s 2026 Legislative Leaders’ Forum was sponsored by: Age-Friendly Rhode Island, Delta Dental, United Healthcare, Neighborhood Health Plan, SEIU Local 580 and Capitol TV.

https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/11856

Speaker Pelosi: Bring Larson’s Social Security proposal to a floor vote 

Published in RINewsToday on September 12, 2022

On the 87th Anniversary of Social Security, the Washington, DC based Social Security Works (SSW) hosted a “Social Security Town Hall Meeting” to get the word out about the importance of passing the Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust. 

The virtual town hall meeting brought together House lawmakers, aging advocates and beneficiaries to send a strong message to House Democratic leadership to support the markup of Congressman John Larson’s (D-CT) social security proposal to expand and strengthen Social Security and send it to the House floor for a vote.

The town hall participants, including host Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works, Larson, chair of the Social Security Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Peter Morley, Patient Advocate and co-founder of Health Care Awareness month, and John Blair, who chairs the Community Advisory Board, SPACE in Action, strongly supported quick action and passage of the legislative proposal. Additionally, several members of Congress also pre-recorded videos which were played at the end of the town hall meeting.

Town hall participants used the Aug. 15th virtual town meeting to highlight polls that show Democratic and Republican voters strongly support Democratic proposals to expand Social Security, and to call on House leader Nancy Pelosi to schedule a vote on Larson’s legislative proposal prior to the upcoming mid-term elections.  

Throughout the hour-long internet discussion, they also condemned the recent attacks on Social Security from Senate Republicans. Specifically, Sen Ron Johnson has called for Social Security spending to be considered “discretionary spending” and subject to routine budget negotiations, even though the program is self-funded by workers. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), chairing the GOP’s committee to re-take the Senate, also has proposed a plan where Social Security would have to be renewed by Congress every five years. And finally, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is pushing for passage of the TRUST Act, which could fast-track legislation to cut Social Security benefits. 

“Social Security has provided our nation with the most comprehensive retirement, disability, and survivors benefits for 87 years,” said Larson. “Democrats are fighting to expand and protect it, yet my Republican colleagues have plans to cut benefits and even end the program as a whole,” he noted.

Larson noted that Congress had not acted in 50 years to enhance benefits. “The American people have made clear they want to protect the program they pay into with each and every paycheck so they can retire with dignity,” he said. “With the COVID-19 pandemic still impacting our country and Republicans revealing their plans to end benefits, there is a fierce urgency to protect and enhance Social Security now. Alongside commemorating 87 years of this program, Congress must pass Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust to make much needed benefit improvements and ensure this program can serve our nation for years to come. Congress must vote!” he said. 

Congresswomen Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Caucus Progressive, representing 100 lawmakers made an urgent call for the protection and expansion of Social Security. “It’s not an entitlement program,” she said, stressing that it is an earned benefit.

“The work we have to do to make sure that this earned benefit pays out the dividends that keep up with the requirement and needs of our Social Security benefit is what H. R. 2100 is all about,” she said, pushing Larson’s Social Security legislative proposal.  

Like Larson, Jayapal calls Social Security the most successful antipoverty program in this country.  “It has lifted more than 20 million Americans out of poverty, including one million children and more 16 million older Americans.  It provides a lifeline to over 16 disabled persons.,” she says.

Julian Blair, Chair of the Advisory Board, SPACEs in Action, called for Congress to get behind expanding and protecting Social Security. “Expanding Social Security …will allow us seniors, and many other people who depend on Social Security, to live with a little dignity—a right all of us have earned and should expect to receive from our country,” she said.

 Peter Morley, Patient Advocate & co-founder of Health Care Awareness Month, who is permanently disabled,” urged that Congress overhaul the and expedite the process for patients applying to SSDI and SSI. “They should not have to wait for years. It’s a tragedy and a shame on our country,” he said.

Urgency to Act Now

Four days before SSW’s virtual town meeting, Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM) gave his thoughts as to the need to expand and strengthen Social Security in an opinion piece, “Let’s Honor Social Security’s 87th Anniversary by Strengthening and Expanding it,” published on the digital site, The Hill.

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 into law 87 years ago, he didn’t “intend for it to remain frozen in place” but would need to be expanded with the nation’s changing demographics,” says NCPSSM’s Richtman.

“In fact, during the first 40 years of Social Security, Congress expanded the program no less than 15 times – mostly to broaden coverage and increase benefits.  In 1950, Social Security was expanded to cover domestic and agricultural workers.

In 1956, Congress added monthly disability benefits, which is why millions of workers with disabilities collect Social Security today. The 1972 amendments provided annual cost-of-living adjustments  (COLAs) to help beneficiaries keep up with inflation,” states Richtman. 

“Sadly, benefits have not been significantly improved since then. Instead, lawmakers have prioritized keeping the program’s trust fund solvent amidst waves of retiring baby boomers. In 1983, Congress increased the payroll tax and raised the retirement age gradually from 65 to 67, which was, in effect, a benefit cut. It was ‘hard medicine’ that affects retirees four decades later. At the time, Congress had little choice because it waited so long to act that Social Security was just months away from being unable to pay full benefits,” added Richtman in his opinion piece.

Like Larson and Jayapal, Richtman also called for strengthening Social Security and in his opinion, piece, urging passage of the Social Security 2100 Act, that expands Social Security benefits and extends the life of the trust fund. At press time, this legislative proposal has 208 cosponsors in the House. The legislative proposal has not one Republican supporting it and some moderate Democrats still haven’t endorsed it.

Richtman also expressed strong concern about the Republican proposals to cut and privatize Social Security if they take over leadership of the House and Senate Chambers. “When Congress returns from summer recess, Democrats have a limited window to enact the Social Security 2100 Act before the midterm elections and subsequent lame duck session, observes Richtman.

According to Richtman, under Larson’s legislative proposal, all beneficiaries would receive a 2 percent increase in boost in benefits — with special increases for widows and widowers, lower-income workers, and retirees over 85 years of age. Future COLAs would be based on a new inflation formula – the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly –  that more accurately reflects seniors’ spending patterns. 

Richtman says that Larson’s Social Security proposal would increase the flow of tax revenues into Social Security. Currently, he noted that high earners do not contribute to Social Security on wages exceeding $147,000. Under this proposal, wages above $400,000 also would be subject to payroll taxes. 

Overwhelming support for the Social Security’s proposal for passage

With the midterm elections just 57 days away, Congress must move quickly to bring Larson’s Social Security 2200 Act to the House floor for a vote.  Even with President Biden and 208 Democratic House lawmakers calling for a House vote on Social Security 2100 Act, it has been reported that Wendell Primus, House Leader Nancy Pelosi’s senior staffer on domestic policy issues, has advised his boss to pull the Social Security proposal from markup, reportedly over cost concerns, effectively derailing Larson’s efforts to get a House vote on his legislative proposal.

Almost 40 aging groups have joined 208 House lawmakers in advocating for expanding and protecting Social Security benefits received by over 70 million Americans.  Primus must rethink his position opposing House consideration.  If the GOP retains control of the House and Senate chambers, Democrats will not be able for years to improve the financial health and expand Social Security benefits. The GOP will control the House and Senate’s legislative agenda. Congressional Democrats and aging advocacy groups would be put in the defensive position to keep the program that we know so well in existence.

For details about the Social Security 2100 Act, go to https://larson.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/larson.house.gov/files/Social%20Security%202100%20-%20Fact%20Sheet%20117th.pdf

To watch the livestream event, “Social Security Town Hall Meeting,” go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xycabwQSurI

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A Sacred Trust – moves to strengthen Social Security

Published on November 8, 2021 in RINewsToday

Almost two weeks ago, House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairperson John B. Larson (D-Conn.) threw H.R. 5723, the Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust, into the legislative hopper. During its unveiling in the historic committee room of the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee, the same room where Social Security and Medicare legislation was crafted in the 1930s and 1960, the Connecticut Congressman’s proposal comes on the heels of the Social Security Administration’s 2021 estimate that the trust funds that support the program will be depleted in just 13 years, averting an estimated 20 percent cut in benefits by 2034.

The Sacred Trust Act is the successor to Larson’s original Social Security 2100 Act, which he first introduced in 2014.The House Ways and Means Committee is planning to hold a hearing on the bill in Nov. followed by a markup.

At press time, 194 House Democratic Members are cosponsoring the 100-page House Democratic proposal with no Republican lawmakers crossing the aisle. Almost 40 advocacy groups are endorsing the House Democratic proposal.

At the Oct. 26 news conference unveiling Larson’s legislative proposal, the Connecticut congressman noted that Congress expanded Social Security during the past 50 years and it has been 38 years since lawmakers have taken any comprehensive action to strengthen the program.“ With 10,000 Baby Boomers a day becoming eligible, and with millennials needing Social Security more than any generation, the time for Congress to act is now,” he said.

Taking a Close look at H.R. 5723

According to the legislative fact sheet released at the news conference, H.R. 5723 gives a benefit bump for current and new Social Security beneficiaries. It provides an increase for all beneficiaries (receiving retirement, disability or dependent benefits) equivalent to an average of 2% of benefits to make up for inadequate Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) since 1983.

Larson’s Social Security proposal also protects Social Security beneficiaries against inflation. It improves the annual COLA formula by adopting a Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E), to better reflect the costs incurred by seniors who spend a greater portion of their income on health care and other necessities. Although the 2022 COLA 5.9%, the largest in years, the average for the past 10 years is roughly 1.5% and in 3 of the past 12 years, beneficiaries received no COLA at all.

It protects low-income works that provides a new minimum benefit stet at 25% above the poverty line and would be tied to wage levels to ensure that minimum benefits doe not fall behind. Currently, 5 million seniors live in poverty.

The Sacred Trust Act also contains other provisions that seniors and their advocates have sought for years, including:

  • Improving Social Security benefits for widows and widowers in two income households so they are  not penalized for having two incomes.
  • Ending five-month waiting period to receive disability benefits so those with ALS or other severe disabilities no longer have to wait.
  • Providing caregiver credits for Social Security wages to ensure that caregivers are not penalized in retirement for taking timeout of the workforce to care for children and other dependents.
  • Extending Social Security benefits for students to age 26 and for part-time students.
  • Increasing access to Social Security dependents for children who live with grandparents or other relatives.
  • Requiring Social Security Administration (SSA) to mail annual statements to all workers detailing the FICA contributions they make and projects of their benefits in the future. 
  • Preventing unwarranted closures of SSA offices to improve customer serve
  • Improving access to legal representation for people seeking long-term disability benefits.

H.R. 5723 would pay for strengthening the Social Security Trust Fund by having millionaires and billionaires pay the same rate as everyone else.Currently, payroll taxes are not collected on an individual wages over $142,800.The legislative proposal would apply payroll taxes to wages above $400,00.This provision would only impact the top 0.04% of wage earners.

Larson’s proposal would also extend the solvency of Social Security by making a significant contribution to the programs solvency, making up more than half of the shortfall in the Social Security Trust Funds.

Finally, H.R. 5723 would combine the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance with Disability Insurance into one Social Security Trust Fund, to ensure all benefits will be paid.

It’s Now Time to Fix Social Security 

Larson’s Social Security proposal would “take historic steps to expand Social Security — delivering for retirees, people with disabilities, and their families the first real boost in benefits in 50 years.  The Sacred Trust Act also would bring new revenue into Social Security amid projections that the trust fund will run dry in 2034 if Congress doesn’t take action,” says Max Richtman, President and CEO of the Washington, DC-based National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

“To those who claim that no one in Washington has the courage to address Social Security’s challenges, or that the only solution is to cut benefits for future generations, Congressman Larson’s bill is a stunning refutation,” states Richtman, noting that he understands that beneficiaries need an increase in monthly checks to meet skyrocketing living expenses. “He knows that the fairest way to strengthen Social Security’s finances is for the wealthy to begin paying their fair share of payroll contributions.  For years, seniors and their advocates have demanded these improvements,” adds Richtman.   

“There is good news for everyone in this bill, which is only fitting, since Social Security touches almost every American’s life.  Beneficiaries have waited long enough for these vital improvements.  Congressman Larson now has nearly 200 cosponsorsin the House.  After seven long years, seniors and their advocates can finally see the finish line, says Richtman.  

With the Democrats controlling the White House, seniors have a good chance of seeing the expansion and strengthening of Social Security.  The proposal has many of President Biden’s promises made during his campaign.  But, like Larson’s previous Social Security Bill, the latest version has no Republican cosigners.

Over the years, poll after poll has shown that the American public strongly supports Social Security, across party and demographic lines.  Larson’s legislative proposal has the support in the House, but will it pass in the upper chamber with Senate Democrats holding a slim majority?  Will voter support influence Republican lawmakers to work across the aisle with Democrats to hammer out an acceptable bipartisan  proposal, as the 2022 mid-term elections get closer?  We’ll just have to wait and see.