General Assembly Attendance: Were Your Legislators MIA?
Friday, July 08, 2011
14 state lawmakers were absent for at least ten percent of the 2011 General Assembly session that came to an end last week, a GoLocalProv analysis has uncovered. The majority of the legislators that missed seven or more days came from the House while only three members of the Senate were found to have missed that much time.
Among both chambers, State Rep. William San Bento (District 58, Pawtucket, North Providence) was absent the most, missing a total of 15 days during the session. Other than San Bento, only Rep. Thomas Winfield (District 53, Glocester, Smithfield) Senator Bethany Moura (District 19, Cumberland, Lincoln) and Senator Michael Pinga (District 9, West Warwick) missed ten or more days.
There Are Times I Can’t Make It
The reasons for the absences vary from legislator to legislator. Some, like Pinga and Moura, have medical excuses. Senate spokesman Greg Pare confirmed that Pinga had quadruple bypass surgery early in the year, which forced him to miss a couple of weeks. Others say the absentee rates aren’t a big deal, especially for a part-time legislature.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSan Bento said that he runs an insurance agency and often times he can’t leave work to make it to the State House. He said he is particularly busy during tax season which is why he missed a handful of floor votes in April. The veteran lawmaker, who first took office in 1992, said he also took a vacation in May.
“I own a business and there are some times that I just can’t make it,” San Bento said. “There might have been some days that I missed, but I don’t worry about it.”
GOP Blasts San Bento
But some Republicans say there is no excuse for missing more than ten percent of the six month session. State GOP Executive Director Patrick Sweeney took San Bento to task for the amount of time he missed this year.
Sweeney said he believes it is time for a Republican to step up and challenge the longtime State Rep.
"In the case of Rep. San Bento, it just goes to show that some of our representatives are not serious about representing the interests of their constituents when they specifically campaign on the fact that they will go to Smith Hill and fight our interests,” Sweeney said. “It's a disgrace to see that an elected official almost misses 5 weeks of the session given they are only in for 24 weeks. I hope the people of Pawtucket and North Providence replace Rep. San Bento with a Republican who will fight for the everyday taxpayer."
Minority Leader: Missed Days Not The Best Metric
Not all Republicans are ready to attack their Democratic counterparts, however. House Minority Leader Brian Newberry said missed days aren’t always the best metric for evaluating things. He said looking at voting records is a better indicator of a lawmaker’s performance.
“Most of us miss the occasional vote,” Newberry said. “OSPRI has all the details as I am sure you know. But many of those are votes that get missed on unimportant stuff (or things you know are going to pass unanimously or nearly so) while you are in the bathroom during a long session. Each year, in reality, there are only maybe a dozen votes out of hundreds that really sharpen the focus on what people stand for. Most of what we do is non-controversial. It’s those key votes that really show the measure of someone.”
But Newberry, who often has to commute in from Boston for General Assembly hearings, also said he is rarely absent.
“If I recall correctly, I have missed only two sessions,” he said. “The first was in 2009 when I had to be in St. Petersburg, FL for a work commitment. I knew in advance that nothing important would be happening. The second time was this May when I had some surgery. I didn’t come in, but would have had anything important been scheduled for a vote. Working in Boston for half my days, I go out of my way to arrange my schedule from January-June to ensure that I can be there by 4PM every day as much as possible.”
I’m There For The Important Things
For others, the early days of the session tend to get tedious, which results in more missed days. State Rep. Charlene Lima, who missed a total of nine days during the session, said she tries her best to make it to every meeting and makes sure she watches floor sessions on television when she is absent.
“I think I’m there for all the important things,” she said.
Lima said little tends to get done during the first few months of the session and admits that it can get frustrating.
“My first ten years here I don’t think I missed a day,” she said. “But I like to get things done. I don’t like to just sit around. Sometimes, that’s what happens.”
A “Commuter” Legislature
And when the days get boring, the bored can make an easy bolt for the exit at the State House, according to Common Cause Executive Director John Marion. Marion said Rhode Island’s “commuter “ legislature presents both positives and negatives for the General Assembly.
“Rhode Island has special challenges as a "commuter" legislature that make us unique,” Marion wrote in an e-mail. “Our geographical compactness is both an asset (anyone can get to the Capitol easily) and a liability (everyone can leave during the course of the evening to carry on their private lives).”
A Full-Time Legislature?
The fact that the state only has a part-time legislature also plays a major role in attendance, according to San Bento. He said people that still need to work often find it difficult to make every single meeting at the State House.
“If it were full-time, I’d probably be here more often,” San Bento said.
You’re Elected To Do A Job
Still, other lawmakers say they pride themselves on making it to every part of the session. In 2011, 40 General Assembly members did not miss a single day. Freshman State Rep. Doreen Costa, a member of the perfect attendance club, said she made a commitment to her constituents to always show up.
“I take my job extremely serious,” she said. “You’re elected to do a job and you’re getting taxpayer money to do it. There is no reason you should be missing that many days.”
