General Assembly Nears End - Five Things You Need to Know
GoLocalProv News Team
General Assembly Nears End - Five Things You Need to Know
This year's session began with hopes of a new economic development strategy and initial claims of an investigation into the 38 Studios disaster. While the approval of gay marriage proved to be a defining moment of the year, the General Assembly has been battling contentious issues now into July, with last night's focus being the flip-flop on the Sakonnet Bridge tolls.
Last week's budget article got turned inside out and left a number of East Bay legislators fuming. Here are five issues that have been focal points in the session's waning hours.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST1) Sakonnet Bridge Tolls: Tuesday saw passage of new legislation that allows the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) to implement a Sakonnet River Bridge toll – not to exceed 10 cents – in order to preserve future tolling options for the bridge and secure a potential revenue stream for the state while it considers an alternative funding plan in the next several months.
The legislation also removes a provision from Article 5 of the budget that would have prevented RITBA from increasing the current toll on the Claiborne Pell Bridge. Governor Lincoln Chafee pushed hard to retain the right to implement the tolls -- but vocal opposition got heated on Tuesday night in the House chamber before its eventual passage.
2) Violent Crimes: The legislature increased the penalty for a first conviction to a prison term between 5 and 15 years, compared to the 5 to 10 years currently provided in state law. The bill would also make it unlawful for anyone to knowingly possess a stolen firearm. Violation of that provision would be a felony punishable by imprisonment for no less than three years and no more than 15 years.
3) Texting While Driving The General Assembly took the anti-texting while driving statute a step further and increased penalties. The new penalties include:
First offense: Individual is subject to an $85 fine or a license suspension for up to 30 days, or both;
Second offense: Individual is subject to a $100 fine or a license suspension for up to three months, or both;
Third offense or subsequent offense: Individual is subject to a fine of $125 or a license suspension of up to six months, or both.
4) Bryant Charged for Emergency Runs The Town of Smithfield will be able to charge fees to Bryant University for emergency run and police costs if Governor Chafee signs or allows the new legislation to go into effect. “It is just not equitable,” said Senator Stephen Archambault, “that a property owner exempt from paying what would be about $2 million yearly in taxes should at the same time receive services that are paid for by all the other residents of the town, both homeowners and businesses."
Archambault said other institutions such as Brown, RISD and Providence College have reached agreement with their host communities and been making payments to help defray some of the cost for municipal services they receive. Bryant is pushing Chafee hard for a veto.
5) National Popular Vote Compact The Rhode Island General Assembly has approved legislation that would add Rhode Island to a compact of states agreeing to commit their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the most popular votes in presidential balloting across the country. Currently, nine states with a total of 132 electoral votes – or just slightly less than half the necessary 270 total -- have enacted law to participate in the “national popular vote” compact. Those states are Vermont, Maryland, Washington, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Hawaii and the District of Columbia. In addition, the bill is going through the legislative process in about a dozen other states.
Legislation that was not adopted
The big bills that have not been passed this year have included Governor Chafee's effort to cut the Corporate Tax Rate to the lowest in New England, there was never an investigation by the legislature's oversight committee into the 38 Studios episode, and any significant relief for the cities like Woonsocket and West Warwick who face significant economic hardship.