Supporters of codifying the landmark decision Roe v. Wade in Rhode Island law used a Statehouse rally Wednesday to insist that momentum is on their side, but legislative leaders remain non-committal about bringing the bill to a floor vote in the House and Senate this year.
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Scott MacKay's Commentary: Raimondo Follows MA's Lead
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo wants her state to be more like Massachusetts. The Public’s Radio political analyst Scott MacKay wonders what that would look like.
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Raimondo’s $9.9B Budget: New Education Spending, No Broad-based Tax Increases
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo unveiled Thursday a $9.9 billion budget proposal that directs more money to education, legalizes marijuana for adults and avoids broad-based tax increases. The spending plan also wipes out an almost $200 million deficit, while imposing some new fees. The executive summary of the budget describes the spending plan as an […]
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Scott MacKay’s Commentary: RI Lawmakers Play Blame Game Over Lagging Test Scores
The latest round of Rhode Island public school achievement test scores came with all the subtlety of a winter plunge into Narragansett Bay. The Public’s Radio Political Analyst Scott MacKay parses the differences between Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
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Bonus Q&A: Matos On Providence Pension, Fane Tower, Developing The Woonasquatucket Corridor & More
Providence City Council President Sabina Matos joined Bonus Q&A to discuss why she opposes Mayor Jorge Elorza’s proposed fix for the pension system, why she supported the Council override of the mayor’s veto on Fane Tower, and why she opposed a measure that would require council leaders facing a felony indictment to step down from […]
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RI House Committee Approves New 24-Hour Waiting Period To Review Major Changes To Bills; Critics Say Broader Changes Needed
The Rhode Island House Rules Committee approved Thursday a minimum 24-hour waiting period to review significant changes to legislation in House committees. But critics said the Rules Committee failed to go far enough in making more changes to improve the legislative process. “I think there’s a substantial improvement in the SubA process,” said House Minority […]
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Federal Shutdown Curtails New England EPA Inspections And Enforcement
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 1 office, which covers New England and is headquartered in Boston, is operating with only about 22 employees during the partial federal shutdown, instead of the usual 516.
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Critics Call For Change To RI Legislative Rules; Leadership-Backed Plan Moving Ahead
A group of citizens and ‘Reform Democrats’ urged the House Rules Committee Tuesday night to make broader changes to the rules governing the Rhode Island House of Representatives for the next two years. But the House Rules Committee could approve rules as soon as Thursday that don’t address most of the differences sought by critics.
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Bonus Q&A: Shekarchi On Schools, Abortion Bill, Harassment, ‘Reform Democrats’ & More
Rhode Island House Majority Leader Joseph Shekarchi (D-Warwick) joins Bonus Q&A to discuss a range of issues related to the new legislative session, including the state’s under-performing schools, the clash on a bill to codify abortion rights in Rhode Island law, and efforts to boost harassment enforcement at the Statehouse.
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Recall Election Set For March For Indicted Fall River Mayor
Residents of Fall River will be voting on whether to recall Mayor Jasiel Correia. The City Council voted Wednesday night to move ahead with the recall election, set for March 12. All but one councilor voted yes. After the meeting, council President Cliff Ponte said he’s ready to see an end to a story that’s […]
