General Assembly

We Have to Insist on Rules

By Justin Katz | March 14, 2013 |

Rules of procedure are a sore spot for me. For several years, now, I’ve been watching at the state and local levels (especially the local level) as laws and procedural rules have been distorted beyond recognition. On Monday, in fact, I presented a case in a four hour hearing before the Tiverton Town Council, making…

Interview with House Judiciary Chair Edith Ajello, After Yesterday’s Voiding of the Day Before’s Ethics Vote

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 14, 2013 |

Yesterday’s meeting of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Judiciary Committee began with the surprise move of Representative Christopher Blazejewski asking Chair Edith Ajello to void the reconsideration of a further study vote from yesterday that had resulted in a proposed Constitutional amendment on the Ethics commission being sent to the House floor. The Chair…

Rhode Island House of Representative Judiciary Committee Meeting, March 13, 2013

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 13, 2013 |

[7:30] One more: For the record, Reps still present: Ajello, Costa, Marcello, Almeida, Walsh, Martin. [7:23] Testimony on the Master lever has concluded. On to a bill requiring board of canvassers to report on provisional ballots. Signing off, for the moment… [7:20] Margaret Kane: Eliminating the Master lever requires voters to read the ballot and…

Coming up in Committee: Thirty-Two Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, March 12 – March 14, Part 3

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 11, 2013 |

10. H5760: Allows all Rhode Island school departments to accept “donations, gifts and grants of money, equipment, supplies, materials and services, conditional or otherwise, from any state, the federal government, or any governmental entity or agency; or from any person, firm, association, foundation or corporation”. (H House, Education and Welfare; Wed, Mar 13) Right now,…

Coming up in Committee: Thirty-Two Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, March 12 – March 14, Part 2

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 11, 2013 |

20. H5300: Creates an underground utility contractor licensing process (and fee) where, apparently, none currently exists. (H Corporations; Wed, Mar 13) 19. S0212: Allows “mobile and manufactured homes within a mobile and manufactured home park” to count towards a city or town’s low or moderate income housing requirements. (Senate Housing and Municipal Government; Thu, Mar…

Coming up in Committee: Thirty-Two Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, March 12 – March 14, Part 1

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 11, 2013 |

For the first time, the list goes to three parts… Local Impact: Central Falls 2, One or a Few Big Employers. Inobvious priorities: S0498 > Adds the executive director of the Economic Development Corporation to the Interagency Council for the Homeless; S0353 > Sets weekend fees for justices of the peace; H5395 > Golf carts…

Coming up in Committee: Nineteen Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, March 5 – March 7, Part 2

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 4, 2013 |

10B. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees will hear large rafts of bills on motor vehicle law on Tuesday, March 5 and Thursday, March 7, respectively. {H5505, S0470, S0564} and S0355 toughen penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, H5779 for driving to endanger, and {H5379, S0565} for both; H5666, submitted at…

Coming up in Committee: Nineteen Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, March 5 – March 7, Part 1

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 4, 2013 |

Local Impact: Coventry Inobvious Priorities: H5101 >> no driving with a dog in your lap; S0008 >> warning labels that say cell-phones may cause brain cancer (for the record, the American Cancer Society’s position is here); S0171 >> laundries must post prices of each garment cleaned. 19. One inobvious priority slides its way into the…

Late Addition: Bills on Requiring Armed Guards at Schools to be Heard Today

By Carroll Andrew Morse | February 28, 2013 |

A bill (H5068) requiring cities and towns to post an armed guard at every school in Rhode Island was posted Tuesday for a House Municipal Government hearing today. Here’s the complete text: The school committees of various cities, towns, and school districts, shall appoint a guard to each school building within their jurisdiction. The guard…

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

By Carroll Andrew Morse | February 25, 2013 |

10. S0330: Independent voters would not need to become a member of a political party, to vote in that party’s primary. (S Judiciary; Thu, Feb 28) 9. H5389: Spencer Dickinson’s proposal for a binding arbitration process for teacher contracts. In the Dickinson process, only the school committee could choose to go to binding arbitration, but…