Current events
Jim Halley is a person who is very adept at identifying problems, developing solutions to address those problems, building support for those solutions, and implementing the solutions. He will implement solutions that benefit all of the citizens of Rhode Island.
September 14, 2010 -- Republican Primary Day
James Halley
Republican Primary
Today - September 14th
Connect the Arrow for
Successful Experience
Community Leadership
To Lead the Way
To a Better Future for YOU and Rhode Island
Vote for James Halley
September 10, 2010 -- Vote in the Republican Primary on September 14th.
As Your Representative I will
· Advocate for government and laws that serve all citizens – do away with favors and special interest legislation
· Advocate for tax reform - lower dependence on property tax
· Support development of small businesses through incentives and decreased regulations
· Consolidate and improve educational programs for all children
· Reform the benefits and retirement packages for state employees including elected officials – streamline and simplify the operations of government
· Create opportunities for highly trained young people to keep them in
I served the community of
I am very adept at identifying problems, developing solutions to address those problems, building support for those solutions, and implementing the solutions. I will implement solutions that benefit all of the citizens of
More information about me and my positions can be found at www.jhalley.com. Contact me at james.halley@jhalley.com with any questions, concerns or suggestions. A brochure is attached.
My name is
August 22, 2010
Press Release – August 20, 2010
Foley urges support of Halley for District 31 seat.
Gerald Foley endorsed and urged voters to support Republican candidate, Jim Halley for the Rhode Island Representative District 31 seat in the primary election on September 14th and the General Election on November 3rd.
Foley released correspondence saying “I am writing this letter in support of James Halley’s candidacy for General Assembly representative for District 31 which serves the communities of North Kingstown and Exeter. I urge the voters of District 31 to vote for Jim in both the Republican primary and General Election. More information about him can be found at www.jhalley.com.” He further wrote “I have been very impressed with his competence as an educational leader and manager, his courage as an innovator and reformer and his commitment to providing the best possible education for all children. Jim has been able to support and maintain an excellent educational program in spite of being provided with resources that have not met cost of living increases…. Jim maintained his commitment to quality education for all children in a professional, dignified and selfless manner. He has also kept his sense of humor and optimistic attitude even under the most stressful situations.”
“As Principal of North Kingstown High School, I could always count on Jim to support initiatives on behalf of our students from building a new high school to creating a block schedule and advisory program to demanding high achievement for all students. Much of the success of North Kingstown High School over the past fifteen years has been built on his support and vision of excellence.”
“Ultimately, the most impressive thing about working with
Gerald Foley served as Principal of North Kingstown High School for nineteen years. He was selected as Principal of the Year by his peers in the Rhode Island Secondary School Principals Association. During his tenure at NKHS, the high school was considered one of the top performing schools in Rhode Island. His popularity with students and parents caused many community members to view him as the embodiment of the spirit of North Kingstown High School. He has entered a new phase of his career as Principal of Johnston High School in Rhode Island.
Dr. James Halley served as Superintendent of Schools for North Kingstown from July , 1995 through May, 2007. Since his retirement as Superintendent, he has served as an educational consultant to the ministries of education in Pakastan, Egypt, and Puerto Rico as well as work on projects with the American Assocation of School Administrators. He also served as interim Superintendent in Foster, RI. A list of Dr. Halley’s accomplishments as Superintendent is attached.
July 30, 2010 - Letter to the Editor revised August 15th
On Wednesday July 28, 2010, the Providence Journal published an editorial entitled A Nautical Haven. This editorial claimed Massachusetts Senator Kerry reportedly avoided $437,000 in a one-time sales tax and $70,000 in annual excise taxes by buying, docking and registering his luxury yacht in Rhode Island which does not tax boats. The Editorial concluded that the state can turn “its geographical advantages into jobs — and the revenues they generate for government — by maintaining a competitive tax environment. Rhode Island should do more across the board to position itself as a great place to do business.”
I agree that a proper sales and excise tax climate helps to promote job opportunities. However, this climate should not promote one industry over another or benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. If the lack of a sales or excise tax on the boating industry produces jobs, then the same would be true of the transportation industry, the electronics industry or the communications industry. Yet each of these industries as well as the consumers of these industries must face a seven percent sales tax and in the transportation industry a yearly excise tax. While Rhode Island probably cannot afford to do away with all sales and excise taxes, our legislature certainly could level the playing field by reducing sales and excise taxes in those industries and to those consumers where they exist and offsetting these reductions by equalizing the sales and excise taxes in the boating industry and to its consumers.
I find it surprising that the state sponsored study of the impact of reducing exemptions to the sales tax failed to address the loss of revenues as a result of exemptions provided to the boating industry – or that there was no discussion of the boating industry exemption when automobile excise taxes were use to balance the state budget.
I find it even more surprising that the Providence Journal in reporting that “officials say sales-tax exemption for boats has helped R.I. economy” do not apply the same criteria to their reporting that they expect from political candidates. Unless my math is wrong, an industry with $1.6 billion in overall annual sales would generate $112 million in sales tax revenues not the $8.4 million quoted by the Journal. If a 4% sales tax were applied to the industry, $64 million in sales tax revenues would be generated which could be used to reduce the sales tax on other industries and still provide a “tax haven” for the boating industry.
This issue certainly, needs further analysis and assessment based on all of the data and information available. Our legislature must stop courting special interests and begin to act in the interest of all citizens!
July 18, 2010
Pain index in Rhode Island Is fourth highest in the U.S.
Rhode Island. New taxes: $91 per person. Spending cuts: $528 per person. Net change: $619 per person.
Major changes: Cuts in aid to local governments, lower pension payouts for state retirees, higher motor vehicle fees, delayed tax refunds.
U.S. News & World Report''s pain index takes a look at places where residents are spending more on taxes yet seeing less in services. It takes into account state tax increases and spending cuts in each state since 2009 and notes that over the past three years, states have cut their budgets by nearly $50 billion -- the biggest reversal of state spending since the Great Depression -- and raised taxes by another $30 billion or so. All of these measures have been taken despite the $250 billion in stimulus aid that the federal government doled out to the states in 2009.
Read more: http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/07/14/10-states-with-the-biggest-budget-pains/#ixzz0u3AyXxPY
Most states are already taking the drastic actions required when spending outstrips revenue. And it's transforming our expectations of government. A brutal recession and a prolonged period of joblessness have devastated state budgets and threatened many programs and services long taken for granted. Over the past three years, states have cut their budgets by nearly $50 billion—the biggest reversal of state spending since the Great Depression—and raised taxes by another $30 billion or so. More pain could be coming. Federal stimulus spending enacted in 2009 included about $250 billion in aid to states, and that largesse is beginning to wind down. If the economy doesn't pick up soon, more service cuts and tax increases are inevitable.
Cutbacks in state spending directly affect middle-class quality of life. Public schools and universities are taking a hit, since a big chunk of state spending helps fund education. Many towns and cities dependent on state aid are reducing basic services like trash pickup and trimming their fire and police departments. The needy may feel the stress most acutely, since a major portion of state spending goes toward Medicaid, welfare, and unemployment benefits. And further ruptures affecting state budgets and payrolls are one reason economists worry about a double-dip recession.
The complete list is an interesting read, especially for those who live in North Dakota, which is at the bottom of the list. Here are the top 10 states with the most "pain" per person:
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Alaska: $1,265
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California: $855
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Wyoming: $698
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Rhode Island: $619
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New Jersey: $602
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Delaware: $453
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Hawaii: $444
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South Carolina: $475
July 8, 2010
Following is a letter of support from Lelie Improta, a North Kingstown resident, veteran educator and past president of the Rhode Island Principal's Association. The letter of introduction refers the reader to this web site.
Friends and Colleagues,
Below is a letter of introduction from Jim Halley, former Superintendent of North Kingstown Schools and currently running for state rep in North Kingstown District 31. I am emailing you to share information about Jim's candidacy. Even if you are not in his NK district (I'm not), you may know someone who is.
Jim has an enormous amount of experience in education and leadership, has some terrific ideas to improve state government, and he is not afraid to take on the status quo. He speaks his mind and is refreshingly candid about his views. As an advocate for student-centered education and common-sense government, Jim is a creative and practical problem-solver and merits consideration on Sept. 14, when he is in a three-way primary.
Please consider forwarding this email with Jim's info to friends, colleagues, and family members that you feel might be interested in this election and learning about Jim's candidacy.
Thank you!
Leslie
PS: No, I am not getting "involved" in politics. I am independent, aiming to help someone I think can do some good in the legislature.
July 1, 2010
Reported in an article in the ProJo on Legislative Grants: The giving of legislative grants questioned 07:02 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 "Her comments about Mattiello prompted Rep. Kenneth Carter, a nine-term lawmaker from North Kingstown, to chime in.
“Representative,” he said to MacBeth, “if I was the leader of the House, I’d expect to get an extra perk or two for the time and effort they put in.” "
It is exactly this attitute of entitlement that needs to be removed from the legislative process. This atitude is why we need a change in legislative leadership in general and in representation for District 31 in particular. No legislator should "expect to get an extra perk or two for the time and effort they put in"
This is the kind of logic that has led to no co-payment health care for legislators, hiring of friends and family that bypasses state hiring procedures, and numerous instances of favoritism and preferred treatment for supporters and special interests groups.
When does the interest of the public in terms of balanced budgets, tax reform, job creation and elimination of red tape take precedence over perks and benefits to our elected representatives?
.
May 25, 2010
Congratulations to the members of the General Assembly for passing a funding formula for education in
April 29, 2010: The following was reported in the Providence Journal today in an article titled "Budget vote strains Senate-House relationship". It would seem like Representative Carter's support for increasing state debt is quite adamant. Is there a better way to balance the budget?
“Don’t embarrass us; we don’t embarrass you,” an angry Rep. Kenneth Carter, D-North Kingstown, offered to his Senate counterparts.
Carter suggested, as did other elected officials, that the Senate action may have been aimed at testing Fox, who became speaker less than three months ago.
“That kind of was a slap in the face to Gordon. I think the speaker should take care of his business. And I’ll support him,” said Carter, an 18-year House veteran. “I think we should go over and have a meeting with the Senate and tell them, we’re doing the budget and you appoint judges. That’s the way this thing is divided up.”
April 29, 2010: I found this Article on Tax Systems very interesting. I have attached a copy of the recommendations as well as a link. It seems like that a more effective tax system would minimize income taxes and use a broad based value added tax system to support state and local government. Rhode Island's burden of government spending in relationship to gross state product, while a problem that needs to be address, is less of an issue than the structure of our tax burden.
California’s tax system, comparisons with other states, and the path to
reform in the Golden State http://www.pacificresearch.org/docLib/20100414_taxifornia.pdf
by Robert P. Murphy, Ph.D. and Jason Clemens
Recommendations
Two sets of recommendations flow from this study.
The first is general and can be applied to any jurisdiction. Governments should pursue tax policies that promote economic growth and prosperity, and they should avoid costly and damaging taxes. This requires using low-cost consumption taxes as the primary source of revenues for government, while avoiding or at least minimizing more costly personal and corporate income taxes and capital-based taxes.
In addition, those states that choose to use income taxes, whether personal or corporate, should do so in the least distortive manner, so as to minimize their economic impacts and costs. This requires that governments avoid multiple and increasing tax rates and use the broadest base possible upon which to assess the tax, which means avoiding the use of tax credits, deductions, and other exemptions. Such a system allows for a single, low tax rate to be applied to a broad base of economic activity, thus minimizing the distortive effects of the tax.
More generally, we urge policy makers as well as the general public to consider the undeniable lesson: Higher taxes—especially on income and capital—stifle entrepreneurship and lead to lower investment and slower economic growth. Particularly during a severe recession, when states are struggling with low tax receipts and rising costs of social programs, there is a temptation to close budget deficits by ratcheting up tax rates that are already high.
Such a strategy is understandable, but by crippling a state’s economic growth, tax hikes will only ensure that a depressed economy stays in the doldrums longer. Furthermore, they sow the seeds for the next budget crisis, by giving businesses an incentive to delay investments or even exit the state.
Rather than hike the rates on existing taxes, we recommend that cash-starved state governments reconsider the structure of their tax codes. By moving away from highly progressive taxes on income and capital, and placing more emphasis on low-rate broad-based taxes on consumption, states in principle can achieve both more revenue and greater economic growth for their citizens.
April 19, 2010: There were several interesting articles in the ProJo today.
The first was about our legislators requiring 15 to 25% copay on health insurance for state employees and placing no requirment on themselves. http://www.projo.com/news/content/Political_Scene_19_04-19-10_PVI52OB_v29.3609b94.html Representative Carter voluntarily pays 10% of the $18,061 insurance plan. I will support legislation that provides for no exemptions to legislators from any requirement they make of the public.
The second was about the new RIPEC report on education. http://www.projo.com/news/content/ripec_education_report_04-19-10_0SI5AGB_v40.3a5846e.html It is very clear from the report that we need to create an effective statewide data system as well as consolidate districts and develop less costly alternative benefit programs for employees.
Here is a link to the report: http://www.ripec.com/matriarch/d.asp?PageID=66&PageName2=pdfsdoc&p=&PageName=Results+%2D+Final%2Epdf
The third was an interesting commentary by Thorne Sparkman about encouraging small business ventures. http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_slater19_04-19-10_ULHUH2Q_v16.4057af7.html
The last article was about the possibility of the legislature using the clean energy fund to fill the budget deficit. http://www.projo.com/news/content/BUDGET_ENERGY_FUND_04-19-10_54I4QUH_v33.3c0b785.html The legislature needs to encourage and invest in business development. This would be a shortsighted action.
April 15, 2020: Who are the legislator's looking towards the future?
The Senate did not support the Representatives who voted Yes.
Representative Carter Voted Yes
April, 8, 2010: Need forTax Reform.
The Providence Journal reports that a unintentional tax break is costing Rhode Island millions in lost revenues. Will the General Assembly act? If elected I will.
Lawmaker says obscure tax break costly to state
01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, April 8, 2010
PROVIDENCE — A tax break that generates about $5 million a year in savings for certain companies that do business in Rhode Island came under attack at the State House on Wednesday.
At issue is a tax break with an ungainly title: the domestic production activities deduction (sometimes called the “production deduction,” or DPAD).
It is generally aimed at encouraging local manufacturing by reducing a manufacturer’s tax bill.
But amid the recession, with Rhode Island facing steep budget deficits, the tax break is something the state can no longer afford, according to Rep. Amy G. Rice, D-Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport. (The state has a budget gap of $220 million for the year that will end June 30.)
The production deduction was created through a 2004 federal law. In essence, it replaced a federal export tax benefit that had been ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization.
In general, it is a federal income tax deduction for domestic manufacturers and certain other businesses. Corporations that claim the tax break on their federal returns receive an automatic tax benefit on their Rhode Island returns.
Rice’s bill (H 7563) would essentially require corporations doing business in Rhode Island to opt out of the production deduction for state tax purposes.
Under current law, corporations may claim the break for production activities “that are not even occurring in Rhode Island,” Rice said in a letter to the House Finance Committee. “Given the current fiscal problems our state faces, it makes no sense for Rhode Island to subsidize the out-of-state activities of large multi-state corporations,” she added.
Disallowing the production deduction for Rhode Island tax purposes would also help to minimize proposed reductions in state aid to cities and towns, thereby limiting local property tax increases — and Rhode Island’s over-reliance on property taxes, she said. The measure would increase state tax revenue by about $5 million a year, she said.
Russell Dannecker, fiscal policy analyst at the Poverty Institute, of Providence, which analyzes tax and budget policies on behalf of low-income people, said that the tax break at the state level does not help struggling companies because it can be claimed only if a business is profitable, “and the vast majority claiming it are large multi-state firms that may invest little or nothing in the state in which the deduction is being taken.”
Daniel Bass, lead organizer for Ocean State Action, a coalition of labor unions and advocacy groups, told the committee that the tax break is contained in federal law, but was never specifically approved for Rhode Island tax purposes. “Ultimately, enacting this legislation would disallow a deduction that likely creates no benefits for Rhode Island and costs our state millions of dollars each year,” he said.
Jeffrey Taylor, a lobbyist representing Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company based in Cheshire, Conn., whose operations include a manufacturing plant in Smithfield, said that pharmaceutical companies and other businesses would suffer if the tax break were disallowed.
The only person testifying in favor of continuing the tax break at the Rhode Island level, Taylor said that Alexion currently uses it. Eliminating it “will harm Rhode Island’s growing biotechnology industry,” he said.
Without the tax break, companies doing business in Rhode Island would have a more difficult time coming out of the recession and trying to compete globally, he said.
Alexion has invested more than $140 million in its Smithfield plant, which has 100 employees and expects to hire more in the future, he said.
Overall, 25 states allow the production deduction, 21 states and the District of Columbia, disallow it, and 4 are not affected by it, Dannecker said. (The Vermont House in March approved a measure that would temporarily limit the tax break at the Vermont state tax level.)
Rep. Helio Melo, D-East Providence, the committee’s deputy chairman, said that no vote was scheduled on the measure on Wednesday. “We just wanted to hear any witnesses” on the issue, he said.
This has been a very difficult week for many Rhode Islanders. For information or assistance use the following link.
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=50706
April 5, 2010: Rhode Island and Race to the Top
While the lack of teacher union and local school district support (two districts did not sign off on the proposal) was a factor in our failure to win the Race to the Top grant – we lost ten points in securing LEA Commitment – an even bigger factor was fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system – we lost twelve points. Mandating the implementation of a statewide data system should be a legislative priority. Data systems currently exist in each school district. These data systems need to be integrated across the state. I advocated for a statewide data system and had eighteen districts on board. RIDE did not encourage or mandate districts to participate in the program. A statewide data system would also contribute to building a statewide capacity to implement, scale up and sustain proposed plans. We lost 5.2 point in this area. We lost 5.8 points in making educational funding a priority and 8.6 points in ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charter schools and other innovative schools. Each of these areas could easily be addressed by the General Assembly and would have added 34.6 points to our final tally which would have put us ahead of both
I believe that the position District 31 should advocate on a funding formula should be support for the implementation of a fair, equitable and predicable state aid formula as long as all individual districts are held harmless at their current levels of state funding.
Following is a link to the Race to the Top results:
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/phase1-applications/index.html
