The legislative session in Rhode Island is off to a fast start, thanks to a vigorous debate on House rules. There’s a lot more happening, so thanks for stopping by for my weekly column. As usual, your tips and comments are welcome, and you can follow me through the week on the twitters. Here we go.
1) The RI House Rules Committee set the stage Thursday for a new 24-hour waiting period to vet legislation in House committees. Although the Rules Committee did not advance other changes sought by the ‘Reform Caucus’– particularly an easier mechanism for moving bottled-up bills to the House floor – the waiting period is considered a significant change. As John Marion, executive director of Common Cause of Rhode Island, noted, “The committees often vote on bills without the public or even the members having a chance ahead of time to read them.” So imposing a waiting period is “a win and a long time coming because to the best of my knowledge that hasn’t been a policy in the Statehouse in modern times.” Still, there’s an exception to the waiting period for the state budget bill, the most complex and important piece of business that makes its way through the General Assembly each year. The revised spending plan normally lands in House Finance Committee members’ hands while it’s still warm from the printer, so critics, not surprisingly, said more remains to be done. For now, though, the ‘Reform Caucus’ has declared a partial victory, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has exhibited more of the balancing test that has been part of his signature as speaker, and the people who turned out for a unusually packed Rules Committee meeting on Tuesday can take some satisfaction in making an impact.
2) Then again, Speaker Mattiello, during an appearance Thursday on Dan Yorke’s State of Mind, downplayed the level of public interest in the typically overlooked rules debate, and he disparaged the Reform Caucus as “the high-tax caucus.” Meanwhile, under-girding the rules debate was the question on whether this was a Trojan horse being used by the anti-Mattiello Democrats in an attempt to advance their own policy objectives. As Rules Committee Chairman Arthur “Doc” Corvese (D-North Providence) told reporters after Thursday’s meeting. “There is more concern in certain quarters, politically, regarding the rules.” A short time later, three members of the Reform Caucus, Reps. Deborah Ruggiero of Jamestown, Kathy Fogarty of South Kingstown and Lauren Carson of Newport talked with the media in the hall outside the committee room. They insisted the rules debate is about process, not personal politics – “We’re not really trying to be some thorn in the speaker’s side,” Fogarty said. “We’re just trying to be transparent” – and vowed to press forward. Meanwhile, House GOP Leader Blake Filippi and Speaker Mattiello continue speak highly of each other, but Filippi and the two other Republicans on the Rules Committee voted “no” in the rules vote on Thursday. So the nine-member House GOP caucus remains a significant wild card in the ongoing House session.
3) Sabina Matos, who won election earlier this month as the new president of the Providence City Council, said her top priorities include affordable housing, education, and the economic challenges facing Rhode Island’s capital city. Yet it’s unclear if any significant improvements will be made to Providence’s severely under-funded pension system by the time the term-limited Matos (and Mayor Jorge Elorza) leave office in 2023. Matos opposes Elorza’s idea of monetizing the city’s water supply due, she said, to concerns about water quality and the impact on ratepayers. The Ward 15 councilor believes it will be more fruitful to negotiate concessions. “My first approach will be to have actually roundtable conversations with the different unions and start getting input from them,” Matos said on Bonus Q&A on The Public’s Radio this week. Why would retirees agree to reduce their benefits? “If the city ends up going into bankruptcy – and I say the word, right? We don’t want to say it – but if we end up going down that road, just look at what happened in Central Falls and how individuals that were already retired get the retirement cut, like, in half sometimes,” Matos said. “So that’s why I think it have to be a joint conversation in which everyone sees what are the alternative if we don’t find a solution.”
4) As Gov. Gina Raimondo gets ready to deliver the first State of the State address of her second term on Tuesday evening, there’s evidence of a slowing national economy. A key question facing Raimondo is whether she can move Rhode Island beyond its longtime first in, last out during economic downturns. So the two-term Democrat can be expected to talk about making the Ocean State more resilient, while fleshing out her previously stated goal of spreading more widely the benefits of RI’s economic recovery. Education and the impact of the Trump administration in Washington are also expected to get attention during the governor’s SOTS. Two days later, on Thursday, Raimondo’s latest budget proposal will be presented to the General Assembly. Key questions include how she will wipe out a combined $200 million deficit, and which investments she’ll emphasize at a time when the state continues to face perennial budget red ink.
5) House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello sometimes takes issue with descriptions of the vast power of the speakership. But Common Cause of RI’s John Marion presented a graph (from 2011’s “Legislative Organization and the Second Face of Power: Evidence from U.S. State Legislatures”) during Tuesday’s House Rules Committee meeting showing that the RI speaker never loses a floor vote. So, Marion said, “[T]he preference of one person from a single district determines the outcome of every vote you take. That is not true in the majority of state legislative chambers.” Separately, writing in the Cranston Herald, two-time rival Steve Frias offered his view on the House rules amplify the speaker’s power. In short, Frias wrote, “The power to appoint the members of committees, and select the chairmen who run them is the power to control the legislative process.”
6) Former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg came close to edging Lt. Gov. Dan McKee last year, attracting 48.9 percent of the vote in a Democratic primary. Now, Regunberg is on to his next step, signing on with a senior adviser on policy to Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza. “I’m excited to work with the Elorza administration to push major progressive policy priorities in Mayor Elorza’s second term, focusing particularly on affordable housing, universal pre-K, and criminal justice reform,” Regunberg wrote in an email. The former two-term Providence rep also plans to start attending Harvard Law School in the fall, and don’t be surprised if he make another run for general office. “I am actively considering another run for public office in 2022,” Regunberg wrote. “I still believe deeply in the vision I ran on last year — that our government can and must work for everyone in our state. Growing up, my mom always taught me if you get knocked down, you get back up and try again.”
7) Providence and the Blackstone Valley (and Cranston) continue to fuel growing Latina presentation in elective office. As Gonzalo Cuervo notes on Facebook: Who would have thought, just a few years ago, that Providence, Central Falls and Smithfield (yes, Smithfield) would all have Latina City Council Presidents? Yet, here we are, kicking off 2019 with Sabina Matos, L. Maria Rivera and Suzy Alba in office. Meanwhile, Pawtucket’s Elena Vasquez, Central Falls’ Jessica Vega, and Cranston’s Lammis J. Vargas were sworn into their respective council seats. Want change? Local government is where it’s at. What a great time to be alive.”
8) During a recent interview at The Public’s Radio, Attorney General Peter Neronha said he planned to pivot the AG’s office in favor of releasing more open records. Now, Neronha is under fire by the RI ACLU for going in the opposite direction. The ACLU charges that the AG’s hit a low point in responding recently to former RI House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan’s request for details from “Google settlement” spending under former AG Peter Kilmartin. In a blog post, the ACLU asserts, “The AG’s argument in opposition to release of the ‘lapel pin memo’ not only tortures the reading of one of APRA’s exemptions to suddenly make unavailable to the public an enormously wide swath of important government documents, it also justifies denying people access to records based solely on the quantity of records their request seeks. Both of these positions do great damage to APRA and to the public’s right to know. What is cause for even greater alarm is that they have emanated from the office responsible for enforcing APRA.” Neronha spokeswoman Kristy dosReis offers this response: “While Rhode Island public records law does contain various statutory exemptions, the law is also clear that these exemptions do not require public bodies to withhold documents, even if exempt. When this office receives requests for records, this administration is committed to exercising that discretion in favor of releasing documents whenever possible, while balancing privacy, public safety, and other interests under the law. The memorandum filed on January 4, 2019 was not contrary to this position. The intent of that memo was solely to restate the reason certain documents were withheld or redacted by the prior administration.”
9) U.S. Sen. Jack Reed continues to be far less reserved than in the past, via Twitter: “Pres Trump is struggling to govern & his Administration is in constant disarray. He listens to right-wing pundits instead of real experts. No one around him tells him hard truths without fear of reprisal. Trump & his inner-circle are doing a real disservice to the nation.”
10) Providence City Council President Sabina Matos on why she opposed a measure, backed by former Ward 3 Councilor Sam Zurier, which would have required council leaders facing felony indictment to step down: “We are colleagues. We are elected by our neighborhoods to represent them and they send us to City Hall and they want us to do a good job representing them and fighting for the things that they care about. I shouldn’t be in charge of policing my colleague and doing the job of the Board of Elections.” (Matos backed Ward 10 Councilor Luis Aponte for council president in 2014, and Aponte – who faces a pending campaign finance case – backed Matos when she won the council presidency earlier this month.)
11) NPR’s Planet Money highlights Rep. Carlos Tobon (D-Pawtucket), his background as an youthful enumerator (counter) for the Census, how he lost three times (by one vote in 2012) before winning office, and how he believes deeply in his plan to pay people to move to Rhode Island. Excerpt: TOBON: “People would say, well, why do I have to do it? And then I would explain to them, well, this is going to affect what Rhode Island will get for the next 10 years and everything from infrastructure money and schools to the representation we have in Washington. Our state is facing grave danger” due to the expected loss of one congressional seat.
12) From Senate President Dominick Ruggerio’s remarks to the RI Interfaith Coalition annual Statehouse vigil this week (via @RISenate) : “As we begin a new legislative session, we are grateful to the Interfaith Coalition for your work to focus our attention upon those Rhode Islanders most in need. The Senate will work together with you to address issues that impact Rhode Islanders who are struggling to make ends meet, from housing to access to food, health care, and quality education. The Senate has passed legislation to end discriminatory housing practices. Sen. Harold Metts – a deacon at Congdon Street Baptist Church – sponsored the bill to prohibit income discrimination in housing. The no-fare RIPTA bus pass program for low-income seniors and disabled Rhode Islanders has also been a priority for us in the Senate. Again Sen. Metts, along with Sen. @BettyCrowley, have championed the issue, and it is one that every member of our chamber cares deeply about. The state is facing a serious budget shortfall, and I recognize difficult choices must be made. But the budget is a statement of priorities, and the no-fare bus program is a priority for the Senate. We will work to ensure that the no-fare bus pass program remains in place. We have prioritized pay equity to ensure equal pay regardless of gender or race. Sen. @gaylegoldin – who also spearheaded paid family leave – has led this charge. Last year, we passed legislation which provided very strong protections, and this issue continues to be a priority. Similarly, the Senate hopes to enact legislation sponsored by @SenatorMillerRI to place into Rhode Island statute the coverage protections contained in the Affordable Care Act. We are also committed to improving education at all levels. We must work to close achievement gaps and to ensure access to high quality education for every Rhode Islander, starting in early childhood. Many of those gathered here today the individuals who work tirelessly to address the challenges presented by food-, income-, and housing- insecurity. Thank you for all that you do, and I look forward to continuing to work with all of you in to better assist those in need.”
13) HBO recently screened the full run of The Sopranos to mark the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking series. For those of us who watched the show at the time, it allowed for a bit of mental time travel back to 1999 – a time when Buddy Cianci had an iron grasp on City Hall and hype flowed about the Providence Renaissance. Ironically, despite screenings of The Sopranos at local watering holes, like the former J.G. Goffs on Point Street, and his own history of thuggish behavior, Cianci objected when HBO wanted to stage a premiere of the show in our former Mob capital.
14) Rhode Island and other states are edging ever closer to legalizing recreational marijuana. Yet Malcolm Gladwell reports, via the New Yorker, that there’s a paucity of findings about the long-term effects of marijuana use: “A few years ago, the National Academy of Medicine convened a panel of sixteen leading medical experts to analyze the scientific literature on cannabis. The report they prepared, which came out in January of 2017, runs to four hundred and sixty-eight pages. It contains no bombshells or surprises, which perhaps explains why it went largely unnoticed. It simply stated, over and over again, that a drug North Americans have become enthusiastic about remains a mystery.”
15) Providence City Council President Sabina Matos said some of her council colleagues are planning to soon bring forth a “systemic” approach for addressing the lack of affordable housing in the city. Here’s part of her explanation of why she supported the override of Mayor Elorza’s veto on the Fane tower proposal: “From my perspective when I look at the financial situation of the city of Providence and were we are, and when I look at the 43 percent of our land doesn’t pay taxes, and when I think about where we’re going to expand the tax base, we have to go up. And maybe what we have to do, we have to bring back the zoning ordinance in downtown and give more density to downtown …. When you think about the financial situation of the city of Providence is right now, and what are potentials for tax revenue, the only way we’re going to be able to come out of that problem is building up.”
16) Jack Shafer on the growing criticism of horse race coverage by political reporters: “Regular handicapping—especially in the days of FiveThirtyEight, when polling analysis has become more robust—provides another campaign service. Like it or not, political campaigns are contests in which the prize goes to the victor and the loser goes home. It’s not antidemocratic for journalists to measure support by checking polls, campaign donations, audience size and endorsements. In fact, such signaling makes democracy possible. Especially in the opening days of a candidacy, a politician must alert potential supporters of his existing supporters. Not many voters will join a bandwagon that doesn’t have followers or wheels. Horse-race coverage also helps clarify the voters’ minds when candidates converge on the issues, as happens regularly in the Democratic presidential derbies. If there’s little difference between the views of the candidate you favor and the leader’s, horse-race coverage helps optimize your vote by steering you toward the politician most likely to implement your views. Pundits aren’t the only ones who worry about a candidate’s electability.”
17) Congrats to Seth Klaiman, RI chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, and Ann Little, director of executive operation for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, who are set to be married by Langevin in Warwick next month.
18) Kudos and Congrats to Diana Pinzon, who is leaving as the investigative producer at WPRI-TV for a producer role at WCVB’s Chronicle in Boston. Pinzon, a Cumberland native who is a favorite of her colleagues, worked her way during the course of 15 years, starting on overnights out of college and climbing to the number two role in the investigative unit. We wish her lots of success in her new gig.
19) “[T]here is enough cheese sitting in cold storage to wrap around the U.S. Capitol”
20) Good news! There’s only about a month until Red Sox pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training (February 13).
