State House Report: Schools, Civil Liberties & Casino Gaming…
Saturday, March 10, 2012
This week, the General Assembly tackled important issues like underage smoking, civil liberty protection and education. Aside from introducing several noteworthy bills, the House also voted on a bill that would allow for casino gambling at Newport Grand slot parlor. Additionally, the Senate saw it fit to deal with the imminent crisis of whether Rhode Islanders would vote to keep Erika Van Pelt on American Idol. Keep reading to view four pieces of legislation that are vital to the state’s livelihood and one that is curious to say the least.
House Bill No. 7543 - Casino Gambling at Newport Grand (Update)
On Tuesday, the House approved a proposal that would allow for casino-style gambling at the Newport Grand slot parlor. The bill was introduced by Rep. J. Russell Jackson (D) and passed with a vote of 69-3. The legislation will now make its way to the Senate for consideration. If approved by the Senate, the decision will ultimately rest with state voters and the town of Newport. In addition to a Newport Grand, voters are also expected to face the question of approving table gaming at Twin River in Lincoln.
The legislation was originally introduced as a response to Massachusetts’ authorization of three new full-casinos and one slot parlor. Rhode Island currently earns $300 million annually from the state’s two slot parlors, a figure that will dramatically diminish if Newport Grand and Twin River do not add table games. A January 2012 study commissioned by Gov. Lincoln Chafee concluded that casino gambling in Massachusetts could cost Rhode Island approximately $100 million per year. The study also examined how Massachusetts’ casinos would impact the already fragile Rhode Island employment picture. Researchers found that Bay State casinos could cost RI 319 jobs by 2017.
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Also introduced this week was a House resolution to preserve habeas corpus and civil liberties for Rhode Island citizens. Reps. Gordon, Savage, Hull, Carnevale and Lally introduced the legislation as a response to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law on December 31, 2011. The NDAA is a federal law that specifies the budget and expenditures for the U.S. Department of Defense. Although the act is typically passed annually without much fuss, this year’s law sparked public outrage due to one particular provision in Section 1021, which allows the military to detain American terrorism suspects on U.S. soil and hold them indefinitely without trial.
It is this aspect of the NDAA bill that the Rhode Island House took issue with causing them to denounce the provision in their resolution. The resolution reads: “Resolved, that this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby condemns in no uncertain terms Section 1021 of the 2012 NDAA.”
Certified copies of the resolution will be sent to President Barack Obama, each member of Congress and each member of the Supreme Court. Worth noting is that Rhode Island’s U.S. Congressman David Ciccilline and Jim Langevin, as well U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse all voted in favor of NDAA 2012.
Senate Bill No. 2275 - College and Career Success for All Students Act
With the backing of the Senate Education Committee, the Senate passed legislation that requires the establishment of clear training guidelines for all teachers who teach or will teach advanced placement classes in Rhode Island public schools. The bill, which passed unanimously 36-0, will now make its way to the House for approval. Originally introduced on February 1 by Sen. Juan M. Pichardo (D), the College and Career Success for All Students Act looks to guarantee that all Rhode Island students receive an ample education for continued success after high school.
“The Senate has clearly recognized the importance of putting the right supports in for both students and teachers regarding advanced placement courses and exams,” said Sen. Pichardo. “Now I hope the House recognizes that same notion. Our state education boards need to take more initiative in encouraging preparation for advanced placement coursework. They need to make a bigger push for Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholars Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in the 10th grade. Those test results can be used to assess which students are prepared and which need additional work. Our goal is to not let any students fall through the cracks where we can help it.”
So what accounts for the extra attention to AP courses in Rhode Island? Well, the Ocean State currently ranks last in New England in terms of the percentage of high school graduates that took an AP class, with 19.6 percent.
Senate Bill No. 2413 – Underage Smoking Penalties
On Thursday, the Senate passed legislation to increase the penalty for underage smoking. Introduced by Senate Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggerio (D), the bill aims to protect the health and wellbeing of the state’s youth population. Under the existing law, tobacco use by those under 18 results in either 30 hours of community service or participation in a tobacco treatment course. Sen. Ruggerio’s bill, which passed 32-0, makes both punishments mandatory.
“A treatment program may be seen as a punishment for violating the law, but I see it as a chance to help young people make better judgments about how they treat their bodies and learn about the hazardous effects of smoking,” said Sen. Ruggerio.
According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, 1,400 kids become new daily smokers each year in the state. Studies indicate that half of these underage smokers will ultimately die from tobacco-related illness. Additionally, an estimated 2 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smokes by individuals under the age of 18 in Rhode Island each year.
Senate Resolution No. 2741 – Congratulating Erika Van Pelt
Although most Rhode Islanders may be proud of Providence-native and American Idol contestant Erika Van Pelt, most taxpayers would probably not want his or her senators spending time discussing the career of a pop star. This past week Senators Sosnowski, Lanzi, Paiva Weed, Metts, and Jabour all drafted a resolution congratulating Ms. Van Pelt on her newfound success. Officially titled: “Congratulating Erika Van Pelt on Being Selected for American Idol and Wishing the Very Best of Luck,” the resolution touts Van Pelt’s upbringing, education, success on American Idol, and future career.
The resolution literally chronicles the entire life and singing career of Van Pelt, calling her voice: “soulful, precise, and yet limitless.” The end of the resolution urges all Rhode Islander to vote for Van Pelt to “ensure Erika’s continued success.” Though it may be a nice gesture, Van Pelt has already been prominently featured locally on TV, in print and online, so government time spent on a singer appears slightly overboard.
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