House 5343

HEARINGS SET ON 5343
Right to Abortion in Rhode Island

The Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on reproductive rights issues on  Wednesday, March 29, at the rise of the House (around 4:30 p.m.) in the House Lounge.

The most important bill on the agenda is the Reproductive Health Care Act, House Bill 5343, which puts into RI law the right to abortion. There was an article in the latest State Voter about this legislation (Download the issue at the LWVRI website, www.lwvri.org.)

The issue as hand is that there is nothing to guarantee a right to abortion should Roe v. Wade be overturned. Momentum is strong for passing the bill this year, but it must be passed in Committee, and then allowed onto the floor of the House for a vote by the full House. Thus, it is important that the Judiciary Committee hear our voices as well as the House leadership—Speaker Mattiello—who has the power to allow or deny all bills to reach the full House.

What you can do:  

• Come to the State House on Wednesday, March 29, and sign up to testify,
• Sign in on sheets placed outside the hearing room indicating your position support/oppose and whether you intend to speak or not.  You can also submit written testimony.
• Or you can just sign up, indicate your support or opposition to a bill, and not speak or submit written testimony.

Planned Parenthood is also holding a Lobby Day session at 3:00 p.m., on March 29, where you will be encouraged to speak to your legislator, and perhaps members of the Judiciary Committee, where the bills are being heard.

     PP will provide quick training including script, etc. and guide people to appropriate legislators

     3:30 p.m.  People can start signing up for testifying.

There will also be other members of the RI Coalition for Reproductive Justice, who can be helpful.

The League supports two of the bills on the Committee agenda:

• House Bill No. 5343 - by Ajello, et al - Puts into RI law the legal right to an abortion
• House Bill No. 5830 - by Handy, et al - Repeal the unconstitutional and unenforceable "spousal notification" law.

The League is opposed to:

•     House Bill No. 5100 - by Corvese, et al - would make certain abortion procedures illegal (so-called "dismemberment abortion")

     House Bill No. 5158- by Felella - would prohibit abortion as means of sex-selection.

     House Res. No. 5399 – by McLaughlin - Would recognize a fetus as a human life at the existence of a heartbeat

To view the content of the above bills, go to the RI State website:  http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Legislation/  and insert the bill number under Bill Status.  There is also a place to click for Committee Memberships.

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.