Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

 

 

May 21, 2020         

 

                                               

 

Both chambers schedule committee hearings next week

 

STATE HOUSE – Committee hearings have been scheduled in both chambers of the General Assembly next week.

The House Finance Committee plans to meet next week. Details will be announced.

The Senate has scheduled three committees to meet on separate days, each televised live on Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox on Channels 15 and 61, in high definition on Cox Channel 1061, on Full Channel on Channel 15 and on Channel 34 by Verizon subscribers, and live streamed at www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV.

The State House remains closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the public wishing to testify on any of the matters before the Senate committee may submit written testimony via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Senate has scheduled the following committee meetings:

·       Tuesday, May 26, 4 p.m. — The Senate Committee on Judiciary will meet in the Senate Lounge to take up the appointment of Lara Montecalvo as the public defender. The committee will also take up the appointment of East Providence Police Chief William Nebus to the State Traffic Commission as well as the appointments of Christopher Little and Jonathan Roberts to the Rhode Island Airport Corporation.

 

·       Wednesday, May 27, 4 p.m. — The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services will meet in the Senate Lounge to take up the appointment of A. Kathryn Power as the director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. The committee will also hold a hearing on a bill (2020-S 2525) sponsored by Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence) to have the health insurance commissioner adopt a uniform set of medical criteria for prior authorization and create a required form to be used by a health insurer.

 

·       Thursday, May 28, 4 p.m. —The Senate Committee on Finance will meet in the Senate Lounge to take up the appointment of Brett Smiley as the Director of the Department of Administration.

 The Senate Lounge will be disinfected nightly by a professional cleaning company and will be sealed off until 4 p.m. the next day to ensure the room remains clean. Only committee members and committee staff will be allowed in the Senate Lounge.  All nominees will participate remotely via WebEx.

There will be no legislative session in either chamber next week.

 

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For an electronic version of this and all press releases published by the Legislative Press and Public Information Bureau, please visit our website at www.rilegislature.gov/pressrelease. 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening statements are expected Monday in former President Trump's criminal trial in New York. The six alternate jurors have been seated and the 12 jurors are already in place. The former President is accused of falsifying business records in order to cover up payments allegedly made to an adult film star just prior to the 2016 election.       New York police say the man who set himself on fire outside the Donal Trump trial drove from Florida to New York City earlier this week. The man had some papers with him that detailed conspiracy theories involving local politics. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.       President Biden is taking jabs at Donald Trump while rallying union workers in Washington, D.C. Biden delivered remarks at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference on Friday, where he said some people, including Trump, "learned the best way to get rich is inherit it." He also said those people " learn that paying taxes is for working people, not the super wealthy."        The House is expected to vote for final passage of House Speaker Mike Johnson's foreign aid package over the weekend. The House approved a rule vote today to begin debate on individual bills to provide military aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. In an unusual move, Democrats voted with Republicans to advance the legislation as many conservatives voted no.        The FAA and United Airlines are investigating a video that appears to show a Colorado Rockies staff member in the cockpit during a flight. The incident happened during the team's April 10th chartered flight from Denver to Toronto. In the video posted on social media that has since been deleted, an unauthorized person appears to sit in the pilot's seat. United Airlines says at least two pilots have been removed from the job.       Horror film "Abigail" is looking to take the top spot at this weekend's box office. It's expected to make between 12-million and 15-million-dollars in its first weekend. "Abigail" is expected to just beat out last week's winner "Civil War" for first place.       

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