Woonsocket Radio News Room

This week at the

General Assembly

 

STATE HOUSE — Here are the highlights from news and events that took place in the General Assembly this week. For more information on any of these items visit http://www.rilegislature.gov/pressrelease

 

 

§  Senate names new committee chairs
Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) announced the new committee chairs for the 2023-24 term. They are Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Newport, Tiverton, Little Compton), Finance Committee; Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown), Judiciary Committee; Sen. Alana DiMario (D-Dist. 36, North Kingstown, Narragansett, New Shoreham), Environment and Agriculture Committee; and Sen. Mark P. McKenney (D-Dist. 30, Warwick), Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight Committee.
Click here to see DiPalma release.

Click here to see Euer release.

Click here to see DiMario release.

Click here to see McKenney release.

 

§  New senators given committee assignments
Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) announced the committee assignments for the new senators who were elected in November. They include Sen. Robert Britto (D-Dist. 18, East Providence, Pawtucket), Sen. Anthony P. DeLuca II (R-Dist. 29, Warwick), Sen. Victoria Gu (D-Dist. 38, Charlestown, Westerly, South Kingstown), Sen. Matthew L. LaMountain (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston), Sen. Pamela J. Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence), Sen. Mark P. McKenney (D-Dist. 30, Warwick), Sen. David P. Tikoian (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, Lincoln, North Providence) and Sen. Linda L. Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol).

§  Senators elected, appointed to leadership positions
Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick) was elected president pro tempore of the Senate, where she will be responsible for presiding over the Senate in the absence of the president. Sen. Roger A. Picard (D-Dist. 20, Woonsocket, Cumberland) was elected deputy president pro tempore. Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) appointed Sen. John Burke (D-Dist. 9 West Warwick) to serve as a deputy majority leader.
Click here to see Gallo release.

Click here to see Picard release.

Click here to see Burke release.

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  • Sen. Valverde introduces Equality in Abortion Coverage Act
    Sen. Bridget Valverde (D-Dist. 35, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown) has introduced the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act to ensure that individuals on Medicaid and state health insurance plans have coverage for abortion procedures. The House companion bill (2023-H 5006) was introduced by House Majority Whip Katherine S. Kazarian (D-Dist. 63, East Providence).
    Click here to see news release.
  • Rep. O’Brien, President Ruggerio introduce lead pipe replacement bill

Rep. William W. O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence) and Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) introduced legislation (2023-H 5007, 2023-S 0002) to address lead pipes in Rhode Island’s water supply system. The Lead Poisoning Prevention Act would create a lead water supply replacement program for both public and private service lines, with a requirement that all affected lines are replaced within 10 years.

Click here to see O’Brien release.

Click here to see Ruggerio release.

 

  • Senate Finance Committee reviews ARPA spending

The Senate Finance Committee received an update from the governor’s administration on previously authorized federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) programs and appropriations.  The committee heard testimony from the R.I. Pandemic Recovery Office and the Executive Office of Commerce.

 

§  Pell Bridge ramp signs improve following Rep. Carson’s request
One day after Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport) hand-delivered a letter to the Department of Transportation seeking better signage and communication about the ongoing Pell Bridge ramp realignment project, new signs went up clarifying the temporary traffic patterns. When the ramps were rerouted for the major construction project in December, a lack of signs resulted in many drivers accidentally crossing the bridge and others struggling to find their way to it, snarling traffic on the main route connecting Newport to the mainland.
Click here to see news release.

§  Housing panel hears United Way plan to speed affordable housing creation
The same week that the state’s first Housing Secretary Josh Saal resigned amid criticism of slow implementation of new housing programs, the Special Commission to Study the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act, led by Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), met with United Way of Rhode Island leaders to hear their proposals to encourage swifter affordable housing development.
Click here to see Speaker Shekarchi’s statement on Secretary Saal’s resignation.
Click here to see news advisory on commission meeting.

 

§  Ackerman, Goodwin honored by Cancer Action Network, Brown Cancer Center
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network and Brown University’s Legoretta Cancer Center have honored Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence) and House Deputy Majority Whip Mia A. Ackerman (D-Dist. 45, Cumberland, Lincoln) for their legislative contributions to cancer prevention and treatment.
Click here to see Ackerman release.
Click here to see Goodwin release.

§  Representatives join together to condemn antisemitism, racism
House Deputy Majority Whip Mia A. Ackerman (D-Dist. 45, Cumberland, Lincoln) introduced a resolution (2023-H 5031) urging all Rhode Islanders to join together to strongly condemn antisemitism. Rep. Raymond A. Hull (D-Dist. 6 Providence, North Providence) introduced a resolution (2023-H 5066) commemorating the life and work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The resolutions come as incidents of antisemitism are on the rise in Rhode Island and nationally, and as the country is set to celebrate King’s birthday on Monday.

Click here to see media release.

 

President Trump is touting the "great meeting" he had with New York Mayor elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House. It was all smiles as the two spoke to reporters from the Oval Office, with Trump saying he feels very confident Mamdani will do a effective job. He added that the better Mamdani does, the happier he is because he loves New York. Both men brushed off questions about trading insults when Mamdani was running for office.        President Trump says he wants a group of Democrats to be punished, but not put to death. Trump was asked by Fox News' Brian Kilmeade about his post saying a group of Democrats should be tried for "seditious behavior, punishable by death" for a video they made, telling military members to ignore orders issued by Trump if they're illegal. Trump said those Democrats did a "horrible" thing.        The Coast Guard is clarifying its policy regarding hate symbols. In a policy released late Thursday, the Coast Guard said, "divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited" and added that includes nooses, swastikas "and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups." This comes after multiple reports said the Coast Guard was moving to label such symbols as "potentially divisive." A policy that was put in place in 2019 had called the display of symbols like swastikas and nooses "a potential hate incident."        Wall Street is closing higher to end the week. Stocks rebounded from Thursday's sell-off after New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said he expects the central bank has more room to lower interest rates. Even with Friday's gains, the three major averages chalked up weekly losses of one percent or more. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones gained 493 points to 46-245.        Millions of Amazon Prime customers will get refunds as a result of the company's two-point-five-billion-dollar settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. You should get an email from Amazon asking you to claim the money through Paypal or Venmo if you're entitled to an automatic refund. Or you can choose to get a check in the mail. This applies to people who enrolled in Prime between June 2019 and June 2025, and didn't use the service more than three times in a year.        "Wicked: For Good" is already going gangbusters at the box office. The sequel to last year's smash hit earned 30-point-eight-million dollars from preview screenings. That surpasses "Superman" for the biggest pre-opening total this year. "Wicked: For Good" is expected to challenge April's "A Minecraft Movie" for the biggest opening of the year by bringing in somewhere between 150-and-180-million dollars this weekend.       

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