Carroll Andrew Morse

Coming up in Committee: Forty Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, April 2 – April 4, Part 2

By Carroll Andrew Morse | April 1, 2013 |

30. S0733: Places the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation in charge of funding “replacement projects” that make use of tax-credits that had been awarded to projects that were abandoned. Submitted at the request of the Governor. (S Finance; Tue, Apr 2) 29. Two agendas concerning multiple bills on insurance regulation will be heard by the…

Coming up in Committee: Forty (Count Them, Forty) Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, April 2 – April 4, Part 1

By Carroll Andrew Morse | April 1, 2013 |

Local Impact: Burrillville 2, Central Falls, Coventry 2, Glocester, North Kingstown, Pawtucket, Warwick, West Warwick 2. Inobvious Priorities: H5529 >> Ice cream vendors must purchase their ice cream from a licensed ice cream wholesaler. H5544 >> Removes Portuguese people from the list of people covered by the Minority Business Enterprise section of the law. 40C.…

Make Every Day Easter Day

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 31, 2013 |

— Pope Francis — Why do you look for the living among the dead? Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness…and that is where death is. That is not the place to look for the One who is alive! — Pope Benedict XVI — We have to…

Fish on Fridays

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 29, 2013 |

Nothing symbolizes the supposed arbitrariness of religion to those predisposed towards skepticism towards religious belief more than does the Catholic practice of eating fish on Fridays during the season of Lent. I’ll admit to having asked myself, especially on Good Friday, what connection there is between fish and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And then…

Government Authority and Respect

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 26, 2013 |

In case you missed it, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee had this to say, during a taped interview broadcast this past Sunday on WLNE-TV’s (ABC 6) “On the Record With Buddy [Cianci]” and linked to by Katherine Gregg of the Projo…[T]he media just gets themselves whipped up…who’s the piñata of the day, who’s the punching…

Harrop Will Continue to Challenge for GOP Chair

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 25, 2013 |

Philip Marcelo of the Projo has just tweeted that…Outgoing #RI GOP chair @markzaccaria confirms @DanHarrop challenging party’s decision to award chairmanship to @RIGOPMarkSmiley.(Yesterday, the State GOP issued a press release, stating that the discrepancy between the number of delegates registered to vote and the number of votes counted on Thursday night had been resolved and…

Coming up in Committee: Twenty-Eight Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, March 26 – March 28, Part 2

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 25, 2013 |

14. Various proposed changes to campaign finance and expenditure laws; H5074 limits all campaign contributions to the General Assembly between January 1 and the passage of the state budget, H5187 limits campaign contributions from lobbyists between January 1 and July 1, H5385 requires disclosure of four year’s worth of political contributions by anyone hired by…

Coming up in Committee: Twenty-Eight Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, March 26 – March 28, Part 1

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 25, 2013 |

Inobvious Priorities: H5278 > Labeling of food products containing genetically modified organisms; H5280 > Standards for handling raw milk. 28. H5654: Calamari declared to be the state appetizer (H Health, Education & Welfare; Wed, Mar 27). 27. S0012: Father-daugther dance bill. (S Education; Wed, Mar 27) 26. On Tuesday, March 26, the Senate Judiciary Committee…

Selecting a New Republican Chair (and a Few Other Officers)

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 21, 2013 |

[10:22] The parliamentarian has ruled the vote invalid, and the Charimanship will be revoted on another night. [10:19] Hall over Olson 109 – 75 for 2nd Vice Chair. Platform fails 95 – 85. Calise over Talan 112 – 68. Smiley over Harrop 94 – 93 BUT that’s one more vote than the number of people…

Same Sex Marriage and Religious Freedom at the Rhode Island Senate Today

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 21, 2013 |

This afternoon, the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee will hear two same-sex marriage bills, S0708 which would put the question to a Constitutional voter referendum in 2014, and S0038 which would directly authorize same-sex marriage by statute. In terms of the guarantees of “protection of religious freedom in marriage”, the bills are polar opposites. The…