NEW: Filippi Blasts Mattiello, Shekarchi, Ruggerio, and Algiere for Blocking JCLS Meetings
Thursday, February 13, 2020
House Minority Leader Blake Filippi is continuing to pursue legal action to force open meetings of the Joint Committee on Legislative Service (JCLS). He is amending an earlier-filed complaint after other top legislative leaders refused to attend a meeting of the committee.
Filippi said that Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere as well as Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello and House Majority Leader Joseph Shekarchi had all previously committed to holding a meeting of the JCLS and have since recanted.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn a letter to fellow JCLS board members, Filippi had wrote, “I am calling a meeting of the Permanent Joint Committee on Legislative Services (JCLS) for Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 1 pm, in Room 101 at the Rhode Island State House, to consider and act upon the attached amendments to the JCLS Rules and Regulations, and entertain other business that members bring forth.” The letter was dated February 6."
Members Decline Meeting
In the Senate response, they said they would not meet because of Filippi’s lawsuit naming them, following Mattiello’s order of an audit of the Rhode Island Convention Center on behalf of the JCLS.
When asked why he did not simply drop the suit in order to meet, Filippi told GoLocal the following.
“Our lawsuit would be resolved by meeting — if we drop our lawsuit, we have no ability to compel them to lawful meetings,” said Filippi.
See the other JCLS members responses below.