Legislative Update March 7

LWVRI Weekly Legislative Alert

No League Testimony Scheduled; Report on Past Week’s

Hearings—Voting and Elections, Open Meetings

Coming Up: Gun Safety Bills

As of Friday, March 4, there were no bills on which the League will testify scheduled for hearings on March 8 and 9, and the Committee calendars had not been posted for March 10. When the calendar is posted, if there are items of interest to the League for which we will need your support, we will post more information and send a supplemental Call to Action. Meanwhile, here’s the report for the past week.

On Tuesday, March 1, LWVRI President Jane Koster,  the League’s chief lobbyist, presented testimony in support of five bills. The first four related to voting and elections.

•  H 7416, which would prohibit state vendors from making political contributions to candidates that if elected, would have the authority to award state contracts to them.
•  H 7146, which would prevent a person from being a candidate for public office who owes fines, fees, or penalties of ($2,000) or more for campaign finance violations, unless that person is currently compliant with a state board-approved repayment agreement.   
•  S 2513 which would establish a system for the electronic registration of voters. 
•  S 2358, which would create a procedure for in-person early voting for all general, primary and special elections.

All were held for further study except for S 2513, the electronic legislation of voters, which was recommended for passage by the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The companion bill in the house, H 7024, was already passed.

The fifth bill, H 7601, concerned open meetings. This bill would exclude  weekends and state holidays from the calculation of the 48-hour public notice requirement for a meeting of a public body. It was also held for further study.

This past week, March 1-3, two new bills of interest the League related to gun safety to were introduced in the house and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.  Both were submitted at the request of the Attorney General.  They are:

• H 7850, which would make it unlawful to carry a rifle or shotgun in a vehicle or on one's person, visible or concealed, except at one's residence, place of business or land. This bill was sponsored by Representatives Diaz, Shekarchi, Almeida, and Maldonado
• H 7583, which would make it illegal for any person, entity, or dealer to sell, loan, transfer or acquire a firearm from any person, entity or dealer with the intent to avoid the application/disclosure process . This bill was sponsored by Johnston and Canario.

These bills have not yet been scheduled for a hearing. 

TAKE ACTION TODAY!!!

LWVRI Legislative Update: Three Bills of Great Importance.

Ethics. The League of Women Voters of RI is testifying before the RI Senate Judiciary Committee today , February 23, on two bills being introduced to re-establish the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission over the RI Legislature.  The League has urged the passage of a bill to place the Legislature under the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission ever since 2009, when the Supreme Court ruled that lawmakers were immune to ethics complaints prompted by their votes or comment during legislative discussions. That ruling essentially allows lawmakers to vote on or sponsor bills that advance their own interests.  The ability of RI to attract businesses is weakened by not having the legislature under the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission.

The League of Women Voters supports S2060 rather than S2427. We believe S2060 is in the best interests of the people of Rhode Island, and the voters should have a chance to vote on this important amendment that would restore the power of the state Ethics Commission over the legislature. S2427 would allow a legislator the right to a trial de novo if he or she disputed the findings of the Ethics Commission, presenting the potential for lengthy and expensive litigation.

Timely notification of public meetings. Today the League will also testify in support of S 2309, which would exclude  weekends and state holidays from the calculation of the 48 hour public notice requirement for a meeting of a public body.  It is in the public interest to know about public meetings as far ahead of time as possible. This bill is especially important for Monday evening meetings which currently can be posted after 5 p.m. on Friday, but it also applies to meetings held on Tuesdays.

Rights of pregnant women. On February 25, the Senate Health and Human Services will be hearing a bill, S 2052, which would prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to pregnant women.  The League will also testify in support of this bill.

The League is tracking legislation as it is introduced so that we can testify on bills on which we have positions.  Previously this year we have testified in support of placing the Board of Elections under the Administrative Procedures Act, on counting prisoners as residing in their home districts rather than in the prison district for purposes of the census, and in support of the electronic registration of voters.