May 15, 2012
Coming up in Committee: Thirteen Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, May 15 - May 17
Local Impact: Central Falls, Coventry 2, Cranston, Glocester, Narragansett, Middletown/Newport 2, Newport 2, North Providence 2, Pawtucket, Tiverton, Warren, Warwick, West Greenwich, West Warwick 2.
13. S2883: A capital gains tax exemption for "new investments in Rhode Island businesses" that meet certain conditions (S Finance; Thu, May 17).
12. S2631: Adds to the state's payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program a reimbursement to cities and towns of 27% of the property tax value of land occupied by Federal military installations (S Finance; Tue, May 15).
11. Seven different bond issues for Pawtucket (H8085, H8086, H8087, H8088, H8089, H8090, H8102) (H Finance; Tue, May 15). Normally these would be in the local impact section, but seven bond issues for the same community on one agenda is highly unusual.
10. S2538: Mandates that portable electronics insurance can only be sold by someone with a license to sell such insurance (H Corporations; Wed, May 16).
9. H8044: Reduces not wearing a seatbelt to a secondary offense (H Judiciary; Tue, May 15).
8. H7950: Gives city and town solicitors the power to investigate false claims against the state and municipalities, and bring civil actions against the perpetrators (H Judiciary; Wed, May 16).
7. H8052: Lifts a moratorium, currently not set to expire until June 30, 2014, on the Board of Regents for Education not approving new "school housing projects" (H Finance; Tue, May 15).
6. H7948: Moves the "control of firearms...regarding their ownership, possession, transportation, carrying, transfer, sale, purchase, purchase delay, licensing, registration, and taxation" from state to local jurisdiction (H Judiciary; Wed, May 16). I'm going to speculate that this bill is motivated more by an intent to move attempts to end-run the second amendment and the Heller regime down to a level where fewer people might notice than by any broader desire to devolve the functions of government.
5. S2631/H7735: Detailed procedures for dealing with and possibly altering a patient's "medical order for life sustaining treatment" (MOLST), defined as a "request regarding resuscitative measures that directs a health care provider regarding resuscitative and life sustaining measures" (H Health Education and Welfare; Wed, May 16 & S Health and Human Services; Wed, May 16).
4. H8074: According to the official description, "this act would relieve municipalities from the mandatory obligation of providing suitable transportation for pupils of nonprofit private schools" (H Housing and Municipal Government; Thu, May 17).
3. H7853: State constitutional amendment allowing legal resident non-citizens to vote in state and local elections (H Judiciary; Wed, May 16).
2. S2872: Supplemental property tax for Woonsocket, to help straighten out the city's finances (H Finance; Tue, May 15).
1. S2955: Moves Central Falls pensions into the MERS system, and restores a portion of the pension benefit reduction that was part of the Central Falls bankruptcy settlement (S Finance; Thu, May 17) ...but without any obvious mention of how the restored benefits will be paid for.
H7853 - "Every permanent legal resident alien. . . shall have the right to vote. . ."
So you wouldn't have to actually be a LEGAL CITIZEN to vote.
They want to give the RIGHT TO VOTE to NON-citizens.
Introduced by Representatives: Williams, Hull, Slater, and McCauley.
Can we vote these people out of office folks, before it's too late . . . for all of us?
Please, I beg of you, stop the idiot train, I want to get off.
I confess ignorance on the exact proceedings for approving a State Constitutional amendment, but PLEASE tell me this would go to a popular vote (of the citizens of the state... at least for now).
StuckHere,
Yes, a state constitutional amendment does have to be approved by voters in a general election.
"Detailed procedures for dealing with and possibly altering a patient's "medical order for life sustaining treatment" (MOLST), defined as a "request regarding resuscitative measures that directs a health care provider regarding resuscitative and life sustaining measures"
Why??? Shouldn't a patient's request be honored?
"Moves Central Falls pensions into the MERS system"
Again, why? As Andrew said, this just shifts the obligation to someone else. It also sets a very bad precedent for dealing with the failed pension systems of West Warwick, Providence, Scituate (yes, Scituate), et al.
Bigger picture: these and any other bills that do nothing to improve the state's economic or budget or regulatory or tax status are a waste of time. The sponsor of any bill that actually makes these conditions worse (like the effort to give unqualified residents the unconstitutional right to vote) clearly wants to accelerate the state's flight off the cliff. Their occupancy of that office should be particularly targeted (gasp) at election time.
"Bigger picture: these and any other bills that do nothing to improve the state's economic or budget or regulatory or tax status are a waste of time."
I couldn't agree more!!
I try to keep up-to-date with this list of bills that Carroll posts (I applaud your diligent efforts here Carroll!!). . . but I can't seem to remember one bill that is attempting to enact some real positive change.
I suppose that attempting to keep a city OUT of receivership can be considered a "positive" step (s2872). But not the sort of "positive" steps we want or need to be taking on a consistent basis.
Posted by: StuckHereinRI at May 15, 2012 3:06 PM