Latest news with #RhodeIslandSenate
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Famiglietti wins Democratic primary for RI Senate District 4
North Providence Town Councilman Stefano Famiglietti has won the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island Senate District 4, according to unofficial results by the R.I. Board of Elections.
Boston Globe
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
R.I. needs a Green Amendment. It's powerful protection for our environment.
Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up Recognizing the power of constitutional rights for environmental protection, van Rossum set out to help other states create their own Green Amendments. Her work attracted the attention of the Green Teams of Advertisement The Green Amendment establishes constitutional rights for all Rhode Islanders to clean air and water, clean soil, and a stable climate — similar to other such rights like free speech, due process, and property rights. The state will serve as a trustee for our natural resources, for the equitable benefit of all, for present and future generations. The Green Amendment harnesses the power of the Constitution to protect our environment from adverse commercial or government actions. Advertisement The Rhode Island Senate Next, the House must pass its The Environment Council of Rhode Island strongly supports the Green Amendment as effective environmental protection. We think it has an excellent chance of winning the popular election and becoming part of our Constitution. A Advertisement Peter Trafton is co-vice president for policy at the Environment Council of Rhode Island, a coalition of organizations and individuals collaborating for over 50 years to protect and improve the environment.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Barrington state senator Cindy Coyne announces run for lieutenant governor
Former State Sen. Cindy Coyne is seen in a video announcing her 2026 campaign for lieutenant governor. (Screenshot) Former state Sen. Cindy Coyne is looking to return to the Rhode Island State House, not as a lawmaker but as lieutenant governor. Coyne, 63, on Tuesday announced her 2026 campaign for the state's second-highest executive office, a seat currently held by Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, a Providence Democrat. 'My work has been about bringing people together,' Coyne wrote in her announcement. 'Listening to people. Seeking the truth and solving problems. That's what government should be about and that's what I'll do as your next Lieutenant Governor.' The Barrington Democrat was first elected to her Rhode Island Senate's District 32 seat in 2014. Coyne beat Republican challenger Giovanni Cicione to fill the seat left vacant by Republican Sen. David Bates, who held the seat for 22 years but decided not to seek reelection. Coyne served through 2022, then decided not to run again. The District 32 seat is now filled by Democrat Pam Lauria, also a Barrington resident. The district spans Barrington and parts of Bristol and East Providence. Accompanying Coyne's campaign announcement included a website and a one-minute, 41-second video recapping her achievements in state politics and her career as a Rhode Island State Trooper. Coyne is the first challenger to officially enter the ring against Matos, who was elected for a full term in 2022 following her 2021 appointment to the role by Gov. Dan McKee. McKee served as lieutenant governor for Gina Raimondo, who resigned to go work for the Biden administration. 'I expect there to be a lot of political announcements in the 18 months between now and the election, but I remain focused on my job and serving the people of Rhode Island by lowering the cost of groceries, protecting our small businesses and caring for our seniors,' Matos said in a statement Tuesday. Coyne chaired the Senate Committee on Judiciary, among the chamber's most powerful roles. She led successful legislation to disarm people convicted of domestic abuse and sponsored bans on ghost guns as well as a 10-round limit on magazines. In 2017, she sponsored legislation which defined state penalties regarding human trafficking, and the bill later became law. Alongside Rep. Teresa Tanzi, Coyne introduced legislation to raise the state's smoking age to 21, which eventually became law in 2021. A 2016 bill sponsored by Coyne led to the creation of child fatality reporting mandates for the state's youth welfare agency. The Pawtucket born and raised Coyne was one of the first women to graduate from the Rhode Island State Police Training Academy and worked with the State Police from 1985 to 2006, rising from a trooper to the rank of lieutenant. She attended the 10-week training program at the FBI National Academy in 1990. She served on the Barrington Town Council from 2010 to 2014, voting to support a successful ban on plastic bags in the town. Barrington was one of the first municipalities in New England to support such a ban. Coyne was the council's liaison to the town's Senior Services Advisory Board and took special interest in issues affecting elderly people and seniors as a state senator. She led the 2019 legislation that established a 13-member advisory committee on how the state funds, researches and provides guidance for Alzheimer's disease — a bill prompted by Coyne's own father, who died from Alzheimer's. That 13-member commission remains a component of the state's Alzheimer's care strategizing, according to a 2024 report from the state health department and the office of current Lt. Gov. Matos. Coyne earned a swimming scholarship to attend the University of Rhode Island, graduating in 1983 with a bachelor's in political science and economics. Six years later, Coyne earned a Bachelor's of Science in administration of justice from Roger Williams University. The statewide primary is set for Tuesday, September 8, 2026. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate President Valarie Lawson seeks opinion on ethical conflicts with teachers union job
Rhode Island Senate President Valarie Lawson is pictured in the Senate chamber ahead of the May 13, 2025, floor session. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Rhode Island Senate President Valarie Lawson quietly recused herself from two labor bills decided Wednesday. The reason: She's awaiting the advice of a state ethics panel on conflicts of interest with her job as head of one of the state's two largest teachers unions. Despite Lawson's abstention, two union-backed bills secured approval with decisive majorities of the 37-member chamber. One would extend organizing rights to university graduate students; the other enhances information-sharing about union members between their employers and local bargaining units. As the end of session looms, with hundreds of bills expected to be considered by both chambers in the final weeks, it's still unclear when and whether Lawson should be participating in discussions and decisions that overlap with her day job as president of the National Education Association of Rhode Island. Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, was elected Senate president on April 29, filling the opening left after the death of former Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. She requested an advisory opinion from the Rhode Island Ethics Commission on May 23, according to a letter obtained by Rhode Island Current. The commission, which last met on May 20, has not set a date to consider a recommendation from its staff on Lawson's request. Lawson in the letter referred to a June 2024 ethics recommendation, when she was majority leader, determining that she could still vote on a swath of proposed changes to the state pension system despite being a retired teacher and head of the teachers union. The ethics panel concluded that Lawson would not benefit from the proposed changes any more than the 68,000 retirees and active state workers and teachers, including 400 of her co-workers at the state teachers' union. Lawson sought to distinguish between actual conflicts of interest, rooted in financial gain, and a 'subjective perception of bias' — the latter of which is not addressed by the state ethics code. 'The Code of Ethics does not address perceived general biases, political views or personal opinions unless they intersect with financial interests,' Lawson wrote. 'This is intentional as the Code of Ethics may not infringe upon either legislative or executive powers.' Lawson also pledged in the letter to recuse herself from any discussions and votes on bills related to pension benefits that would affect her 'rights or entitlements as a participant in the state's Pension system.' Her letter does not mention potential conflicts on labor bills, including the two she abstained from Wednesday. Greg Paré, a Senate spokesperson, downplayed Lawson's recusals. 'In any part-time legislature, most members will have full-time jobs as well, and it is inevitable that potential conflicts will arise,' Pare said in an emailed response Thursday. 'The members of the Senate recuse themselves in these situations. Throughout her tenure in the Senate, President Lawson has recused out of an abundance of caution when a potential conflict arises, and she did so yesterday as well.' The precautionary measure did not put Sen. Ana Quezada at ease. Quezada, a Providence Democrat, did not vote for Lawson for Senate president because she worried over the conflicts of interest with her union job. 'For me, it is still a concern,' Quezada said in an interview Thursday. 'Even if she recuses herself from voting on the floor, what happens behind closed doors?' Indeed, it was behind-the-scenes negotiations, not public votes, that prompted the first Senate president, East Providence Democrat, Billy Irons, to resign. Irons abruptly left the leadership post at the end of his first year, in 2003, amid news reports he accepted payouts from insurance companies in exchange for defeating legislation the industry opposed. 'Recusing from a vote is only part of the actions as Senate president,' John Marion, executive director for Common Cause Rhode Island, said. 'Lawson is also the person who decides if a committee can move forward with a vote on the legislation.' Exercising caution might sound like the best choice amid uncertainty. But her constituents, and the 12,000 teachers she leads, could lose out if she recuses herself unnecessarily, too. This was the conclusion of a pair of Brown University professors in a paper in the 2024 Roger Williams University Law Review in examining non-judicial recusals from 2006 to 2018. 'Recusing might make political sense,' the authors stated. 'Stepping aside makes it impossible for political opponents to claim that voting was improper. But this is where the phrase 'out of an abundance of caution' falls apart. That phrase implies that there are no costs to recusing, just possible benefits. But there are real costs—direct and indirect—to this kind of 'abundance of caution.' The direct cost of legislative recusal is the disenfranchisement of constituents.' Without an ethics opinion on the bills up for a vote Wednesday, it's unclear whether Lawson could have participated in the decisions. Recusing from a vote is only part of the actions as Senate president. Lawson is also the person who decides if a committee can move forward with a vote on the legislation. – John Marion, executive director for Common Cause Rhode Island Marion acknowledged the timing of the state ethics reviews and meetings – typically once per month — made it difficult for Lawson to get timely advice in the end-of-session scramble. But the proposals themselves were introduced on Jan. 31, giving Lawson ample time to ask for more general input from the ethics panel. Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone requested an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission on his ability to discuss and vote on gun-related legislation immediately after he was elected the Senate's no. 2. The commission approved its staff recommendation at its May 20 meeting. Lawson waited more than three weeks after she was tapped as president to ask for an ethics opinion. 'It's surprising given the scrutiny on her dual roles that she isn't doing more publicly to make sure that she's getting sound advice on what she can and can't do in her role as Senate president,' Marion said. 'The next few weeks are going to highlight that challenge.' Companion legislation in the House to Ciccone's bill expanding organizing rights to college graduate students remains held in committee following an initial Feb. 12 hearing. The House Committee on Labor is scheduled to vote Thursday night on a companion to the other union bill, requiring regular updates from union employers to the local bargaining units. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi remained noncommittal when asked for comment Thursday, only saying that both bills were 'under consideration.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
R.I. Senate confirms Karen Bradbury to open spot on PUC
Karen Bradbury and her husband Patrick Crowley smile after the Rhode Island Senate vote on Tuesday, May 27, confirming Bradbury's appointment to the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission. (Screenshot/Capitol TV) Rhode Island's three-pronged state utility panel is back to full power, with the Rhode Island Senate unanimously voting to confirm Karen Bradbury to the open seat on the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission. The chamber's 30-0 vote Tuesday fills the vacancy left by former commissioner John Revens, who resigned in December, midway through his six-year term. Supporters of Bradbury touted her experience in state and federal government and renewable energy as qualifications for her appointment. Bradbury most recently served as program administrator for Rhode Island's Office of Energy Resources, overseeing the rollout of federally funded tax credits and incentives to help homeowners and small business owners pay for high-efficiency electric heat pumps, among other renewable energy programs. Much of her 20-year policy career was spent working under U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, where she left as projects director in December 2022. 'She is committed to finding solutions that provide Rhode Islanders with clean and affordable energy,' Sen. Robert Britto, an East Providence Democrat, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, said of Bradbury. 'Her track record makes her an excellent selection to serve on the PUC.' Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, a South Kingstown Democrat, also gave high praise to Bradbury. 'We are so fortunate to have someone with her expertise and her knowledge, and not only that, she's great to work with,' Sosnowski said. Bradbury did not address the chamber, but waved in response to standing applause after the vote. She was accompanied by her husband, Patrick Crowley, the president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. McKee's administration previously defended against inquiries about whether Bradbury's appointment was related to her husband's influential role with a major labor union, instead focusing on Bradbury's own qualifications for the job. Bradbury's high-profile appointment to the regulatory body carries extra weight amid rising frustration over utility costs and profits reported by Rhode Island Energy. Addressing lawmakers during a May 20 panel hearing, Bradbury pledged to protect families and businesses grappling with soaring utility bills while also advancing the state's renewable energy mandates, which are one of several costs contributing to monthly utility bills. The utilities commission by law cannot reject the state utility provider's proposed supply-side prices, as long as they do not include an extra markup beyond what it costs to purchase power directly from third-party suppliers. However, the commission has more authority over service-side charges and has scaled back Rhode Island Energy's proposed investments in capital infrastructure projects in acknowledgement of the extra costs to customers. Bradbury will serve out the rest of Revens' term, which ends on March 1, 2027. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
