Republicans Call JCLS Mattiello’s “Private Fiefdom to Spend Public Funds”
Monday, February 17, 2020
Rhode Island House GOP Leader, Rep. Blake Filippi, was the featured speaker at Saturday morning's South County Republican Coalition Breakfast and blasted Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello's manipulation of the Joint Committee on Legislative Sevices (JCLS).
In his remarks, Filippi explained his pending lawsuit against the House Speaker to address potential legal breaches associated with the JCLS.
According to Republicans, the last meeting of the JCLS happened at least ten years ago -- but the 'Committee' has jurisdiction over annual expenditures of more than $47 million in Rhode Island taxpayer's money.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"[Filippi] made a compelling argument that this line item in the State Budget has become a political slush fund for House Speaker, Nicholas Mattiello," said Rhode Island Republican Conservative Caucus (RCC) Vice Chair, Mark Zaccaria.
Filippi pointed out that the bulk of the annual expenditures are for salaries, which gives the Speaker sole control over significant patronage -- and in the absence of any action by the five-member JCLS, the Speaker, as the body's Chair can choose and then approved all expenditures despite no formal action on those decisions by the Committee.
"Bear in mind that means personally making hiring and firing decisions at will," Zaccaria added.
"This presentation was a real eye-opener," Zaccaria said at the meeting's conclusion.
Zaccaria issued a formal statement from the RCC on the matter, supporting Filippi's JCLS lawsuit and calling for a meeting of the JCLS, which was endorsed by the following City and Town Republican Committees, all present at the breakfast meeting: Block Island, Charlestown, East Greenwich, Exeter, Narragansett, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Richmond, and Westerly.
The Republican Conservative Caucus is an arm of the Rhode Island Republican Party. The RCC concerns itself with identifying, recruiting, and supporting State Legislative Candidates and with speaking out on issues that threaten individual choice by imposing collective requirements. Learn more on Facebook at RI Republican Conservative Caucus.
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