Rhode Island Politics
We’re going to take a buyout and use future money from a tobacco settlement–money that was supposed to go towards anti-smoking education and help alleviate the pain and suffering of actual smokers (ahem)–so that we can, among other things, pay for some overtime that some sheriffs didn’t work in the past, but that they should…
Surprise! After some weird deliberation, AG Lynch went ahead and signed the bond authorizing grabbing tobacco money as per the GA. He will supposedly elaborate at 4:30 today. Summary: much ado about nothing…except some PR, I guess.
If there are restrictions on how money from the tobacco settlement can be used, many other states are acting as if they are oblivious to them… Pennsylvania, from today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette…[Governor Ed Rendell], a Democrat, wants to use $35 million a year from the state’s $400 million annual tobacco settlement payment to make debt payments…
It looks as if Andrew’s speculation might have been correct: Lynch, who must approve such bonding authorizations, complained that he is being rushed. The problem: the tobacco money comes with strings attached. “It’s dramatically different from other bonds that I sign,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve had to look at a bond…
A few minutes ago, one of the local TV news anchors teased a segment on the tobacco money issue with the question, “How would the General Assembly balance the budget?” Because Lynch didn’t emphasize potential, and because he could have examined the documents without a declaration about doing so, here’s my speculation: Whether it was…
WJAR-TV (NBC 10) is reporting that…Attorney General Patrick Lynch said Monday that he won’t sign off on the General Assembly’s plan to use tobacco settlement money to close the state’s budget deficit.(h/t Dan Yorke) WPRO’s Colleen Lima reporting that AG Lynch hasn’t quite said he won’t go along; he’s said he has until 3 pm…
Look. All I want is to be able to support my family. I don’t claim to be perfect. I don’t claim to have made a lifetime of sensible (or even reasonable) decisions. But looking around at the wealth squandered in this state, trying to squeeze bare-chested between the barbed stucco dams by which others have…
Although some readers will surely see it as over-the-top rhetoric, I can’t help but find something analogous to “dating violence” in the General Assembly’s treatment of lower governments. To politically capitalize on a horrible murder, the state legislature has — without any argument or evidence that such legislation will do one bit of good —…
You have to laugh so as not to cry: The General Assembly has given final approval to two bills – (2007 – S0804A) by Senator Issa and (2007 – H6235) by Rep. Raymond C. Church (D-Dist. 48, North Smithfield, Burrillville) – to empanel a 15-member study commission to report back to the legislature early next…
According to the Projo’s statehouse bureau, even during a time of multi-year budget deficits, the Rhode Island legislature wants to take the idea of expanding government to ridiculously literal new heights…Lawmakers want to explore expanding the State House. Saying the seat of state government needs more, and larger, hearing rooms to increase public access to…