Woonsocket Radio News Room

Amo, DeLauro Introduce Southern New England Regional Commission Act

Legislation would establish economic development commission to strengthen regional economy

 

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) introduced the Southern New England Regional Commission Act. The Southern New England Regional Commission Act would establish a commission that would encourage jurisdictions at different levels to work together to leverage federal support to strengthen the area’s economy.

 

“It is great to join with our regional leaders in introducing this important piece of legislation to tackle problems that do not stop at the border of one state,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “Through the Southern New England Regional Commission, we will better coordinate efforts to fight climate change and grow our blue economy as we leverage the unique strengths of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts to unlock widespread prosperity for our communities.”

 

"The Southern New England Regional Commission is a game-changer for Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, driving investments in defense, maritime manufacturing, and infrastructure to create good-paying jobs and strengthen our economy,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “Together, we’ll harness federal resources to tackle shared challenges, because our economic future requires regional collaboration."

 

BACKGOUND

This legislation would establish a regional commission covering Rhode Island and surrounding counties in Massachusetts and Connecticut for purposes of promoting economic development in renewable energy, defense manufacturing, the maritime economy, infrastructure, and job training, among others. By facilitating collaboration across various levels of government with federal support, this initiative seeks to bolster the region’s economic resilience and growth.

 

A fact sheet on the legislation is available here.

 

Amo and DeLauro introduced the legislation with original cosponsors U.S. Representatives Stephen Lynch, Richie Neal, Seth Moulton, Joe Courtney, Seth Magaziner, Jake Auchincloss, and Lori Trahan.

Federal employees are returning to work despite some uncertainty over paychecks following the government shutdown. The White House reportedly has urged federal agencies to send paychecks as fast as possible to employees who have been without pay. Some are expected to get paychecks as soon as this weekend.        The House will vote on a measure that forces the Justice Department to release all of its Jeffrey Epstein case files. House Speaker Mike Johnson is required to put the bill on the floor after a discharge petition related to the matter reached the 218 signatures needed. This follows the release of emails from Epstein to his associate Ghislaine Maxwell as well as a journalist that referenced Trump, claiming in one that President Trump "knew about the girls."        A new study suggests a link between the use of GLP-1 medications and lower death rates in colon cancer patients. The University of California, San Diego study examined data from more than six-thousand-800 colon cancer patients. The preliminary results found the five-year mortality rate of patients using GLP-1 medications was less than half that of those who were not using the drugs.        There's been an arrest in connection with the shooting of an athletic director of a California community college featured in the Netflix docuseries "Last Chance U." John Beam was shot on the Laney College campus in Oakland, California on Thursday and remains critical. Police are not giving details on today's arrest. Beam was the school's longtime football coach when he appeared on the streaming show.        PepsiCo is launching its "colorless" alternatives for its Cheetos and Doritos brands. The company is introducing its "Simply NKD" offerings which will feature the new snack products made without artificial flavors or dyes. The product launch comes as federal regulators are planning to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the nation's food supply products by the end of next year. According to PepsiCo, the Simply NKD products will be in stores on December 1st.        Two new movies are off to good starts at the box office. "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" made two-point-one-million-dollars from Thursday previews, while "The Running Man" brought in one-point-nine-million. The two films are set to battle it out for first place as both are projected to make between 20 to 25-million over the weekend.       

Old News Archives