Online Voter Registration, State Education Address: This Week at the State House

Rep. Malik, Sen. Felag bills rename highway after fallen R.I. military hero

Rep. Jan P. Malik (D-Dist. 67, Warren, Barrington) and Senator Walter S. Felag Jr.’s (D-Dist. 10, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton) legislation that would rename a portion Route 114 in Bristol to “The 1st Sergeant P. Andrew McKenna Memorial Highway” passed both chambers of the General Assembly. First Sgt. Peter Andrew McKenna Jr. was killed in August 2015 while serving in Afghanistan. Gov. Gina M. Raimondo signed both bills into law.

Senate approves Ruggerio bill to increase penalties for animal abuse

The Senate unanimously passed legislation filed at the request of Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin that would increase criminal penalties for malicious injury to or killing of animals. The legislation is sponsored Senate Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-District 4, North Providence, Providence). Similar legislation has been introduced in the House by Rep. William W. O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence).

Senate passes two bills to curtail theft of wages from employees

The Senate passed two pieces of legislation designed to curtail the theft of wages from employees by employers. The first bill was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) and would establish a procedure for employees to secure liens against employers for unpaid wages. The second bill was sponsored by Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush (D-Dist. 15, Pawtucket, North Providence) and it increases the penalties for nonpayment of wages and improves access to the justice system for aggrieved employees.

Education Commissioner Ken Wagner delivers State of Education address

State Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Ken Wagner delivered the first State of Education address before a joint session of the General Assembly. Wagner discussed how to prepare students with the skills that matter through such initiatives as advanced coursework for all students, re-imagining schooling for the 21st century and empowerment of schools and families.

Rep. Serpa legislation would rewrite law on stalking

Rep. Patricia Serpa (D-Dist. 27, West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick) has submitted legislation that would effectively repeal the state’s current stalking statute and replace it with more thorough legislation that not only redefines stalking but explains the legislative intent behind the law. A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush (D-Dist. 15, Pawtucket, North Providence).

Sen. Goodwin introduces bill regulating ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft

Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence) introduced legislation to establish regulations and safety measures for the ride-sharing industry, as well as clarify that it is subject to the state sales and use tax. She and House Majority Whip John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Portsmouth, Tiverton) co-chaired a legislative commission that studied how to update state transportation industry laws to account for new ride-sharing services.

Legislation would require child-resistant packaging on e-cigarette liquid

The House Health, Education and Welfare Committee took testimony on legislation filed by Rep. Helio Melo (D-Dist. 64, East Providence) in conjunction with Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin to require child-resistant packaging for e-liquid used in electronic nicotine-delivery systems such as e-cigarettes. Identical legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence).

Colorado officials share info on marijuana regulation with R.I. lawmakers

Rep. Scott A. Slater (D-Dist. 10, Providence) and Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence) hosted Andrew Freedman, director of the Governor’s Office of Marijuana Coordination in Colorado, for a presentation and question and answer session on Colorado’s implementation and oversight of the state’s marijuana laws. Representative Slater and Senator Miller have both introduced legislation that would remove the state’s prohibition on adults using, possessing and cultivating marijuana for personal use.

Related Slideshow: Who Supports, Opposes Marijuana Legalization in RI in 2016

Supports

RegulateRI

Jared Moffat with RegulateRI pointed to Colorado’s regulated marijuana system generating more than $135 million in revenue in 2015 -- as well as potential competition from Massachusetts if they legalize marijuana first -- as reasons for Rhode Island lawmakers to act on the legislation this year.

“Vermont and Massachusetts, we should be well aware of the fact that they're moving seriously towards legalization,” said Moffat. “We've had the debate for five years now -- and it's coming. The question is now do we want to get ahead of the curve. Our hope is that now that tolls vote happened, that this will be the next thing that fills the void."

Opposed

Rhode Island Medical Society

"Legislatively, we have nine point policy on drugs, and the last one is we don't support legalization. It's not specific to marijuana, but it's the closest the [American Medical Association] comes to policy," said Steve DeToy, RIMS Director of Public Affairs.

"We support medical marijuana. Taxing the patient isn't something we'd support, but if it's for regulating an unregulated supply system, we support that," said DeToy. "Rhode Island has two types of suppliers, one is the compassion centers that have had strict oversight, and the other is the caregivers' side which hasn't had the same level of protections and oversight at this time."

NAACP Providence Branch

Supports

NAACP Providence Branch President Jim Vincent serves on the RegulateRI coalition -- and offered the following:

"The New England Area Conference [of the NAACP] voted in favor of the legislation. It continues to be an issue that tears apart our community, this war on drugs. It's a key factor why our community is suffering, when we can be keeping people out of jail for something that can be regulated," said Vincent.

"Legalization is many issues -- it's social justice. for others its medicinal, they for others its a tax raising issue," said Vincent. "I'm staying on the social justice."

Opposed

RI Taxpayers

"Marijuana will be the next great debate. With leadership unwilling to address their broken culture of inefficiency and questionable ethics, they will look to any source for future funds that will not impact the current culture," said RI Taxpayers' Larry Girouard. "Tolls, pot, gambling and other initiatives do not require leadership to change anything. They just tap new funding sources."

"When you have the most hostile business climate in the continental US, one would think there would be ample examples of things leadership might initiate to improve our business climate. Of course this would mean that leadership would need to make a few unpopular decisions, something that they seem unwilling to do. Name one thing that leadership has done over the last 5 years that demonstrates that they are really serious about changing Rhode Island’s abysmal anti-business brand. It is easier to create new sources of income, like tolls," said Larry Girouard.

Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity

Neutral

"Our statement is we're not 'pro' or con until we do more research," said Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity CEO Mike Stenhouse. "Our question is, if it's a lot like alcohol, and supporters say why don't we just tax it like that, then do we think more 'alcohol' for young Rhode Islanders is a good or bad thing?"

"When government in its voracious appetite for new revenue considers legislation that could arguably provide great societal or individual harm, you have to consider the pros and cons," said Stenhouse. "We'd have to look at Colorado and other states for the impact there."

"As for [taxing] medical marijuana, if we're taxing it simply as a revenue source, it's government out of control," said Stenhouse. "And if we try and overregulate, we know there's a huge black market for cigarettes already in Rhode Island."

RI Progressive Democrats

Supports

"We support a legalize, tax, and regulate approach," said Sam Bell with the RI Progressive Democrats."

As for the Governor's proposal to tax medical marijuana caregivers and patients?

"We have not taken a formal position, but I would imaging the majority of our group would be opposed," said Bell.

Supports

RI Libertarian Party

"Continuing to waste resources on enforcing the prohibition on the consumption of marijuana, the moral equivalent of a good bourbon, is like flushing taxpayer dollars down the drain," said Pat Ford, Chairman of the RI Libertarian Party. "If adults want to use marijuana in the privacy of their home, why shouldn't they be allowed to do so without fear of prosecution?"

"The War on Drugs is a consummate failure that has crossed our nation billions of dollars through the combined cost of interdiction and incarceration, exacerbated racial tensions, inspired a narco terrorist fueled refugee crisis and been the root cause underlying several public health crises," said Ford. "Waisted lives and wasted resources will be its sole legacy. The legalization of cannabis can begin to bring this madness to an end."