Video of Rep. Lisa Baldelli-Hunt moving to recommit S2872, an act authorizing a supplemental tax increase in Woonsocket.
Justin writes live from the House Floor session and Committee on Judiciary. Woonsocket. Campaign finance.
The final part of this series groups communities by income and population change, finding clear distinctions suggestive of different strategies for moving the state forward.
A quasi-public wind farm proposal is still flying below most Rhode islanders’ radar and changing shape from month to month, the latest idea being to make it a subsidiary of the EDC.
An example of civil asset forfeiture in Northern Massachusetts adds punctuation to Justin’s concerns about the local forfeiture windfall taken from Google.
General Treasurer Gina Raimondo expresses concerns about a bill to bring Central Falls and other struggling pension systems into MERS.
Justin writes live from the RI Senate Committee on Finance, including Central Falls retirees and a path to MERS.
Sen. John Tassoni’s wife lacked a license for her day care center, but he won’t comment about whether RI’s licensing regulations are too burdensome.
Legislation bringing Central Falls and other municipalities into MERS limits pension cuts to 25% and may set precedent for repeated state bailouts.
A bill by Sen. Crowley and the Dept. of Revenue would allow cities and towns to use the state oversight process to move retirees into the state-run MERS pension system.
RI requires licenses for the 14th highest number of lower-income occupations in the U.S., imposing the 22nd greatest overall burden, disproportionately affecting men and minorities, whom the recession has hit hardest.
Tax breaks for artists raise the question of why all Rhode Islanders shouldn’t have more control over their own destinies
Despite some local journalists’ reports, RI’s Medicaid Global Waiver reform has saved $55.2 million within the first year and a half of implementation, and would have saved more but for ObamaCare and federal stimulus legislation.
The intricate machinations suggested by Gary Sasse in the “tax-the-rich” debate raise the question of whether RI can afford the risk (or the wait) involved with technocratic designs.
Empirical data related to the ideology of state-level legislators suggests that, yes, Rhode Island is very liberal.
Ian Donnis has looked into RI’s negotiations for its share of prospective casino revenue, and pulling all the data together suggests that table games may only mean $9 million per year to the state government.
In some circles, local ties to ALEC have been hot news this week, but Justin isn’t sure that the complaint against the group is really what it’s being articulated
Liveblogging from the Senate floor session and House Finance Committee.
S2680, from Sen. Walaska, appears to open the door for the PUC to act as a police force. Senate Judiciary hears the bill, today.
The House Finance committee hears a variety of tax proposals, mainly concentrating on taxing “the rich”; Justin writes live.
RI’s unions are behind efforts to increase state revenue through gambling and “taxes on the rich” in an apparent effort to counter the effects of Massachusetts casinos, but the state will have to decide whether the consequences are worth the attempt.
Former district 1 congressman Patrick Kennedy tells the New York Times that big donations from special interests is how the business of politics works, with implications for local campaign finance initiatives.
Justin writes live and extemporaneously from the Senate Finance Committee hearing on Gov. Chafee’s municipal relief package of legislation.
Matt Allen’s petition for repeal of the primary-offense seat belt law leads Justin to consider the real consequence of such legislation.
Reason’s Matt Welch measures cutting-edge media against legacy media worries about the death of their industry, and reviewing the local playing field, Justin gives an example of how public policy can give them a cudgel (even inadvertently).
Governor Chafee’s legislative package for municipal relief includes a bill, S2823, that would expand and deepen the Dept. of Education’s authority over school budgets, including general oversight of municipal budgets, as well.
Justin writes live from the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources hearing, including (for one thing) creation of a new public consortium with powers of eminent domain.
Justin writes live from the Senate Committee on Special Legislation, with particular interest in casino-related legislation submitted on behalf of the attorney general.
A bill originating in the attorney general’s office transfers all authority over casino gambling in RI to the Division of Lotteries and omits “conflict of interest” rules for its employees.
Rep. Joseph Trillo supports a casino ballot question, but he has submitted legislation for a broader study of ways to increase RI’s gambling revenue, possibly including a casino on Allens Ave. in Providence.