21 to Watch in RI in 2021: Joseph Shekarchi

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

GoLocalProv Political Team

 

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Speaker-Elect Joe Shekarchi PHOTO: GoLocal

It’s a new era in Rhode Island.

Speaker-elect Joseph Shekarchi is poised to take the helm of the Rhode Island House of Representatives in January, following a tumultuous 2020.

While soon-to-be former Speaker Nick Mattiello was ousted in November, Shekarchi — who served as Majority Leader under Mattiello — has the opportunity to chart his own course.

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Shekarchi in the waning days of 2020 oversaw the passage of a stop-gap Fiscal Year 2021 budget that was heavy on spending from federal CARES Act dollars — but light on addressing the state’s significant fiscal realities moving forward. 

In 2021, Shekarchi will have to usher through a workable and sustainable Fiscal Year 2022 budget, that more than likely could see the full scale legalization of marijuana in Rhode Island — after the application period for expanded compassion center licenses closed in the waning days of 2020, with lobbyists and political insiders vying for a foothold in the industry. 

Will Shekarchi have the Joint Committee on Legislative Services (JCLS) meet, after House Minority Leader Blake Filippi raised the issue of lack of transparency and oversight — as the JCLS had never met during his tenure? 

The new Speaker will have a myriad of complexities on his plate when he ascends Rhode Island’s most powerful post in 2021. 

 

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