All Entries in the "Regional" Category
Your New Business Portal at the RI Department of State
by Secretary Of State Nellie M. Gorbea
During the redesign of the Rhode Island Department of State website, we strived to create a Business Portal that would serve as an easy-to-use hub for businesses. Our mission is to engage and empower all Rhode Islanders, so we made sure we spoke with many of you in the business community about the sorts of tools and resources that you need to manage or start your business in our state. Those conversations have resulted in the Business Portal you see today at http://sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-portal.
The Business Portal is a great place to find out what deadlines are coming up and what forms need to be completed for your business. One of the more useful tools within the Business Portal is the online filing system. Online forms and accounts make it easy for you to renew your paperwork. We want Rhode Island business owners to spend less time worried about paperwork and more time managing a successful business.
Every year after your first year of incorporation, business corporations must file an annual report with our Business Services Division. The annual report filing period for Business Corporations is from January 1 to March 1. Filing fees are $50 by person or by mail and $52.50 if filing online. The additional $2.50 for filing online is for payment to the state’s private vendor for online services – RI.Gov or Interactive Rhode Island. This is not revenue for the Department of State or the state’s General Fund. Instead, the fee covers the cost of creating and maintaining the state’s online services. My office is in conversation with the Governor’s Office to address this fee disparity. All filings recorded on or after April 1 are subject to a late fee of $25.
Of the 30,224 Business Corporations on file last year, nearly two-thirds (19,133) filed electronically. Online filing is safe, easy, and available 24-hours a day. It has the same requirements as paper filings, but can save you valuable time because the forms are pre-filled on the screen with the data we already have on record for your corporation. Last year, our staff and summer fellowship intern, worked on simplifying and redesigning all of our business forms so that they are easier to use.
We also understand that managing a business takes time, and there may be many deadlines and important calendar dates to keep track of. We encourage business owners to use our Business Portal to verify whether or not they have filed their annual report. If your entity name contains the words Limited Liability Company or LLC, your annual report filing period is September 1 to November 1.
As Secretary of State I am continuously looking for ways to connect Rhode Islanders and their government. Working alongside the talented team in our Business Services and eGovernment & IT Divisions, we are dedicated to working with Rhode Island business owners to move business forward in our state.
Whether you are a new entrepreneur or an established small business, the Department of State’s Business Services Division is here to help. You can reach us by calling (401) 222-3040, emailing us at corporations@sos.ri.gov or visiting our office at 148 West River Street. Please feel free to contact me directly with any thoughts or suggestions at secretarygorbea@sos.ri.gov or visit our newly redesigned website sos.ri.gov. We look forward to working with you to grow your business in Rhode Island.
Office of the Lieutenant Governor Daniel J. McKee: Introducing Our New Website for Empower RI
by Daniel J. McKee
Too few Rhode Islanders realize they can buy their electricity from suppliers other than National Grid. Those who have tried to take advantage of competitive offers have often struggled to find the right information to make an informed switch. Some who switched have been slapped with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in unexpected charges on their bills – negating any savings they would have enjoyed.
We can do better, and now we are, thanks to a new website called Empower RI.
In partnership with the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers and RI.gov, my office launched the site, www.ri.gov/empowerri, in January to help Rhode Islanders shop for the best electricity prices for their businesses and homes.
Empower RI allows customers to compare electricity prices and contract terms from competitive suppliers to the current “Standard Offer” from National Grid. With its usage calculator and menu of plan offers, the site makes the process of selecting an alternate supplier easier and more transparent.
Ratepayers in Rhode Island face some of the highest energy costs in the country. For businesses, high energy costs can stifle expansion and innovation, and serve as an obstacle to a thriving business climate. For residential ratepayers, high electric bills can stretch hard-earned dollars to the limit.
Empower RI was modeled after competitive energy sites in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, where a much higher percentage of customers are taking advantage of third-party suppliers. The Division of Public Utilities reviews and approves all suppliers’ offers for inclusion on the site. And if you choose a competitive supplier, National Grid will still deliver power to your home or business and respond to service calls, outages or other emergencies.
When electricity rates spiked by double digits a year ago, some customers took advantage of lower third-party rates only to see their savings eaten up by a “Standard Offer billing adjustment.” As of July 2015, customers will no longer face a billing adjustment when they switch. Last year, I intervened before the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission, along with Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, in favor of eliminating it. The commission agreed the billing adjustment was a barrier to a robust competitive market.
I know firsthand the benefits Empower RI can bring homeowners and businesses. After we launched the site in January, I myself clicked through and chose a plan that will save my family about 20 percent over the next five months.
I urge you to try Empower RI as well. It’s a valuable tool to help small businesses and residential ratepayers get the best electricity prices. Already, it is doing exactly what its name says: empowering ratepayers to make the most cost-effective decisions on their electricity supplier.
Encouraging Girls To Dream Big
A Message from Governor Gina M. Raimondo
Women and girls are our nation’s most under-utilized resource. As our state’s first woman governor, I find myself saying that a lot. You know the statistics- women make up approximately half of the population, yet far more than half of our leaders are men. The Washington Post noted last year that only 24 of Fortune’s 500 most influential companies in the nation are led by women. And according to The Atlantic, only about 30 percent of small business owners across the country are women.
In government, the numbers are no more encouraging. In Rhode Island’s General Assembly, only 31 women are currently serving out of 113 total seats.
I’m proud to be one of six female governors currently serving across the country, but only six women acting as statewide executives across all fifty states is far too few.
When I became Governor, I pledged to make Rhode Island a place of opportunity for all. There are certainly a number of very talented women doing amazing things in our state. But when half of the population doesn’t see enough people like them represented in business or government, it’s a sign that we still have work to do.
So how do we get more women in leadership roles? We start young. Girls need role models in order to succeed. That’s why I created the Governor for a Day essay contest in honor of Women’s History Month last year. I invited middle school girls from all over the state to write in, telling me what they would do in my shoes, for a chance to come visit me at the State House and meet with women leaders. The response was overwhelming; the submissions were incredibly mature and passionate. We received almost 600 essays, focusing on everything from the foster care system to climate change.
Michaela from Scituate wrote about making all schools handicap-accessible, saying, “all kids should have the ability to attend their local school with their neighborhood friends.” Riley from Chariho proposed starting an anti-bullying campaign, writing, “Wouldn’t it be really amazing if every school in Rhode Island had a day when not a single hateful or hurtful word was uttered?” And Ibiolatiwa from Pawtucket wrote about helping single parents, saying, “We should never forget women who are in tough situations involving violence or neglect.”
My staff and I were so impressed by the issues that Rhode Island girls chose to tackle in their essays. We had so many talented essayists that it was a challenge to choose a winner. But in the end, we decided to invite Khatima Bulmer from Newport to become Governor for a Day.
Khatima visited the State House on Earth Day last year. She met with many women in leadership roles, including Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, Senators Erin Lynch and Gayle Goldin and Representatives Anastasia Williams and Deborah Fellela. We planted a tree at her school, attended a groundbreaking ceremony and helped to announce Water Quality Protection and Restoration Grants at an event in Roger Williams Park. I had so much fun with Khatima last year, and I know she’ll go on to do great things. And, I’m happy to report that my office is now accepting submissions for this year’s Governor for a Day contest. I can’t wait to meet this year’s contest winner and spend another eventful day together.
For more information on this year’s Governor for a Day contest and how to enter, please visit http://www.governor.ri.gov/newsroom/essay/.
How Will Federal Rule Changes Affect You?
Sole proprietors, get ready. You now have one more thing to sort out in your business: how you buy health insurance. Effective January 1, 2016, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) redefined the meaning of “small group.” According to the new rules, sole proprietors now fall into one of two health insurance categories: small group purchasers or individual purchasers.
Why is this important?
“If you think about the Rhode Island economy, small business immediately comes to mind because it is the lifeblood of Rhode Island,” said Melissa Cummings, senior vice president and chief customer officer at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI). The state’s well being is directly tied to the health of the business community.
To know where a business fits under the change, understand the primary difference between these two groups—number of employees.
“A sole proprietor can retain their ‘small group’ status if they employed at least one person during the preceding calendar year and they continue to employ at least one person (who is not a spouse of the owner) on the first day of their annual health insurance cover period,” explains George Tager, manager of small group sales at BCBSRI. In this case, nothing changes for the small business.
The owner of a business that has no employees, regardless of incorporation, must purchase coverage in the “individual” market. This change actually presents business owners with a range of options for various budgets, so they should learn what their choices are. They also can use HealthSource RI (HSRI), the state’s health insurance exchange, and may be eligible for federal tax credits.
These credits can help reduce the cost of individual coverage, but you need to be careful when you apply for them. They are based on net income, and if you suddenly find your income higher than expected, you will need to contact HSRI and make adjustments to avoid having to pay back some, or all, of the tax credits.
Although change is not always welcomed, opportunity is. Many of the people who make up the lifeblood of Rhode Island are currently facing change in how they insure themselves and their families. But with this comes the opportunity to better understand their medical and dental insurance needs.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island:
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) is committed to assisting small business owners through this transition. “We proudly provide coverage to 95% of sole proprietors in Rhode Island, giving them all the information they need to get the right plan,” said George Tager, manager of small group sales at BCBSRI. “We know the new federal regulations can be confusing, so our top priority is to help small businesses understand how the rules affect them.
“We’re already contacting small businesses that might be affected,” Tager added.
BCBSRI has put special emphasis on customer service, adding phone service seven days a week and recently opening its third Your Blue Store retail location. You can ask questions face-to-face at Your Blue Stores in Bristol, Lincoln, and Warwick.
Sole proprietors who start purchasing their insurance as individuals will continue to enjoy the same BCBSRI value-added features they received as small group purchasers, like CVS/pharmacy discounts and the 24/7 Nurse Care Line. They also can purchase medical and dental coverage together with just the one Blue Cross card.
