State Update:
December 2008
General Assembly Election Impact:
On the State level there wasn’t major change in the November 4th election, but there was one important upset. Joseph A. Montalbano, the Democratic President of the Senate, lost his race. Rhode Island voters voted out 8 of 18 of Republicans in the General Assembly. Aside from Montalbano’s loss, Rhode Island voters did little to change the power structure and dominance of the Democratic General Assembly.
Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva-Weed, a Democrat, survived an aggressive challenge in Newport County and is expected to become the next President of the Senate.
Members who represent part of the state that Brown resides in who held their positions as part of the Providence and Bristol delegation in the General Assembly are:
In the House
State Representative David A. Segal
State Representative Edith H. Ajello
State Representative Gordon D. Fox
State Representative Steven M. Costantino
State Representative Raymond E. Gallison (Bristol)
State Representative Douglas W. Gablinske (Bristol)
In the Senate
State Senator Maryellen Goodwin
State Senator Juan M. Pichardo
State Senator Rhoda E. Perry
State Senator Harold M. Metts
State Senator Charles J. Levesque (Bristol)
State Senator Walter S. Felag, Jr. (Bristol)
There were no General Officer elections.
City of Providence
There were no local races.
State Budget
On June 11, the House Finance Committee unanimously approved a $6.892 billion budget for fiscal year 2009, reducing state spending by $85 million from the current year. The savings, which will not require tax increases, will be achieved through state employee attrition, cuts to health and welfare programs, a $15 million total cap on the state’s movie production tax credit and increases in traffic violation fines.
Next year, the General Assembly will continue to work to close the budget gap. This will likely require further cuts and reduced spending. This may mean increased scrutiny by the legislature of institutions like Brown as possible revenue sources.
2008 General Assembly Session
While no bills passed this session that had a negative impact on Brown, there were several bills that GRCA tracked. Below are a few examples.
H-7763 An Act Relating to State Affairs and Government – Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights: This act included campus police officers within the definitions of “law enforcement officer” for purposes of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights. GRCA directed outside counsel and AICU of Rhode Island to oppose this bill. The bill was referred to House Judiciary and held for further study.
H-8190 as amended An Act Relating to Public Utilities and Carriers – Regulatory Powers of Administration: This act would transfer the costs associated with fire hydrants from property tax payers to water rate payers by allowing municipalities that pass an appropriate ordinance to avoid payment of hydrant rental fees. The Governor vetoed the bill on 7/2/08.
H-8054 An Act Relating to Towns and Cities – State Aid: This act included state-owned real property in determining appropriations to cities and towns for payment in lieu of property taxes. Specifically, the act would have required any state owned real property to annually appropriate payment to cities and towns a sum equal to 27% of all tax that would have been collected had the property been taxable. The measure was held for further study.
S-2211 Sub A An Act Relating to Animals and Animal Husbandry – Emergency Management: This act would have required that Rhode Island emergency management agency create an animal emergency management plan. GRCA provided to the Senate Constitutional and Regulatory Committee the University’s disaster plan for animal care. The Senate voted to recommit the bill to its original committee. The bill then died in Committee.