December 21, 2009

When the right wing converged on health care town hall meetings in Rhode Island this summer to try and undermine public support for extending health care to all Americans, Ocean State Action was there, organizing hundreds of reform supporters to show up and be counted, not just for any reform but for real reform that made coverage affordable and held the insurers accountable.

When state legislators slipped a provision into the state budget to eliminate the office of the health insurance commissioner, Ocean State Action was there, mobilizing a wide range of allies from business to labor to health care providers to successfully preserve the office to serve as a public watchdog on insurers.

When a leading corporate lobbyist tried to once again block legislation allowing for stiffer fines for corporations who do not clean up toxic pollution in the state, Ocean State Action was there, speaking at a press conference outside of the lobbyist's office -- and helping ensure that the General Assembly finally passed the polluter fines bill in 2009.

And when three dozen Rhode Island progressive activists from unions, community and environmental organizations came together for the New Voices Campaign Leadership Program, a three-day training to learn the nuts and bolts of political campaigning, it was only because Ocean State Action was there -- leading this training to build the progressive movement.

To read more about all of the work Ocean State Action has done in 2009, click here.