Carroll Andrew Morse
19. H5285: “The Comprehensive Racial Profiling Prevention Act of 2013”, including such provisions as requiring police officers to document the grounds of their “reasonable suspicion” or “probable cause” searches and to contact a dispatcher or supervising officer where practicable before such searches, and requiring traffic stops to be recorded when a police vehicle is equipped…
29. H5132: Families qualified to receive child-care subsidies because their incomes were less than 180% of the Federal poverty level would continue to receive the subsidy if their incomes rose to 225% of the poverty level “provided that the family requires child care in order to work at paid employment”. H5409 and H5473 would allow…
Local Impact: Burrilliville 2, Glocester, Pawtucket 2, Portsmouth 2, Providence/Pawtucket. Inobvious Priorities: S0648 >> Creates a new board to oversee licensing of massage therapists; H5445 >> Licensing of music therapists; H5853 >> Regulations on the treatment of circus elephants; S0676 >> Procedures for resolving “ownership of unclaimed property on loan to a museum” (primary sponsor…
NAIC model legislation — There was much consternation last year, locally and nationally, over the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) drafting “model legislation” that might be submitted in Rhode Island. Model legislation was heard at the statehouse this very week — but not from ALEC. Three bills heard on Tuesday by the House Corporations Committee…
NSL court decision — In mid-March, a Federal district court judge in California ruled the use of “national security letters” to be unconstitutional (Wall Street Journal story here). NSL’s are letters issued by the FBI, without prior judicial approval, that require telecommunications companies to provide data to the government. There are two major issues with…
O’Neill and the Democratic platform — Rhode Island Republicans get regularly beaten up for not being able to agree on a party platform. On the other hand, when appearing on WPRI’s Newsmakers two weekends ago, Representative Patrick O’Neill (D – Pawtucket) had this to say about one of his disappointments with the Democratic leadership in…
A brief exposition of an entry put down in an actual dead-tree notebook, referring to a news-subject worth watching, at a time where there is certainly no shortage of subjects vying for public attention… Secretary of Commerce vs. RICWFA paradox — A group of Rhode Island leaders led by General Treasurer Gina Raimondo announced a…
Multiple news organizations are tweeting about a possible gunman on the University of Rhode Island Kingston Campus. Kim Kalunian of WPRO, in the last five minutes, has tweeted…State PD say “no evidence” of active shooter at URI Kingston campus, investigating now URI worker says someone in class stood up and said they had a gun;…
UPDATED: Somehow, I missed the entire Senate Judiciary hearing for Tuesday, April 2, which includes:S0039/S0044: The bills to eliminate the master lever (which would have been rated #1).S0422: State-issued drivers’ licenses for illegal immigrants (which would have been either #2 or #3).S0769/S0553: Two bills that create in-person early voting in Rhode Island elections, beginning several…
20. H5514: Grants “deputy sheriffs, capitol police officers, environmental police officers, juvenile program workers, shift coordinators, airport crash/rescue firefighters, airport police, and campus police officers employed by the state of Rhode Island or any Rhode Island quasi-public agency” retirement benefits equal to those of state police officers. (H Finance; Wed, Apr 3) Isn’t this the…
