RI State Report: Twin River, CPR Certification + Drunk-Driving Loophole

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Anthony Faccenda, GoLocalProv News Contributor

 

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This week State Report centers on three recently passed bills, which now sit atop the governor’s desk awaiting final approval. One bill addresses cheating at Twin River; another calls for high school students to be CPR certified; and the third measure eliminates a troublesome drunk-driving loophole. Also on the docket, the House’s passage of legislation establishing a sales tax study commission. Aside from legislative matters, we’ll examine a new study that has deemed Rhode Islanders as the unhappiest workers in the United States.

General Assembly approves anti-cheating law for Twin River table games

One week after the Senate approved legislation that establishes criminal laws against cheating at Twin River, the House of Representatives passed both companion bills on Tuesday making it one step closer to becoming law.

“With Twin River breaking into new territory, it is imperative that the state have an appropriate set of rules and regulations in place so it’s universally understood that the facility will be running a tight ship,” said House Majority Leader Nicholas A. Mattiello. “Eighteen percent of revenue from those table games will go to the state, so we not only have a significant interest in deterring cheating, but feel a sense of duty in making sure this is done well and done right.”

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Cheating at casino games is a felony under the bills, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison or up to a $100,000 fine. Cheating may include rigging computers or machinery; taking advantage of a malfunction; tampering with cards or dice; and using any device that can alter the result of a game. Penalties apply to patrons and employees alike.

The legislation also creates the Gaming Enforcement Unit within the State Police, which will be authorized to enter and inspect Twin River at any time; monitor its operations and records; eject anyone violating laws; and enforce new table gaming laws.

The measure now awaits Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s signature.

GA approves legislation requiring CPR, AED training for high school graduation

On Tuesday, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring high school seniors to be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) in order to graduate.

According to the bills’ sponsors, including this training in graduation requirements would accelerate response to potentially life-threatening injuries and teach students how to save lives.

Under the legislation, high school seniors must take a hands-on course in CPR and an overview in AED use. The bills also specifies that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education be authorized to monitor the training to ensure that all Rhode Island students are proficient in CPR and AED use.

The bills will now head to the governor for consideration.

Thirty-six states currently require CPR training for graduation, according to the American Safety and Health Institute.

General Assembly eliminates drunken-driving loophole

The General Assembly approved legislation on Thursday removing a loophole that allows drivers under 21 years old to avoid criminal drunken-driving charges as long as their blood alcohol level is less than .10 percent, even though the legal limit is .08.

The legislation—which is sponsored by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma and Rep. Donald J. Lally—fixes an oversight that was not updated when lawmakers lowered the legal blood alcohol content limit from .10 to .08 in 2003.
When the legal limit was lowered, a loophole was created allowing drivers between ages 18 and 20—whose blood alcohol level is between .08 and .10—to avoid criminal drunken-driving charges they would face if they were 21 or over.

“This statute was meant to punish underage drinkers who get behind the wheel, not to help them escape charges when they are legally driving drunk. This legislation restores this chapter’s intent, which was always to discourage people who shouldn’t be drinking at all from driving when they have been,” said Sen. DiPalma.

The legislation will now be transmitted to the governor for approval.

House approves creation of sales tax study commission

The House passed a joint resolution on Tuesday creating a special legislative commission to study all facets of the current sales tax system in Rhode Island. If enacted, a 13-member commission would be tasked with reporting its findings to the General Assembly on or before Feb. 6, 2014.

According to the bill, the official goal of the commission is to “make a comprehensive study of all aspects of the current system pertaining to sales tax in the State of Rhode Island, including, but not limited to, the possibility of repealing the sales tax.”

The legislation stems from a bill introduced by Rep. Jan P. Malik, which called for an elimination of the state’s sales tax. Although his bill hasn’t made headway in the General Assembly, Malik is pleased that his proposal has started a dialogue.

“More than anything, I wanted to start a conversation on the subject, a serious conversation that, once and for all, reaches a conclusion as to what we should and could be doing to help ease the tax burden on state residents and to restore a level playing field for our many small businesses,” said Malik.

As for the creation of a study commission, Malik said that it’s a valuable task to undertake.

“I believe a study is a worthwhile expenditure of time that will help us arrive at recommendations and actions that will benefit consumers and businesses alike,” said Mailk. “It is certainly better than continuing to ignore the subject, which we have done for too long.”

The joint resolution will now make its way to the Senate for consideration.

New study: RI’ers hate going to work more than any state

Rhode Island workers hate going to work more than any other state, according to a new Gallup study.

The survey—named Study of the American Workplace Report—found that one out of five RI workers reported being actively disengaged with their work, which is the highest in the country. Additionally, RI was the only state where fewer than 80 percent of workers indicated that they utilized their strengths at work. To make matters worse, the study found that the Ocean State has the worst work environment in the country.

The survey asked individuals to respond to and rank a series of twelve statements, which include: I know what is expected of me at work, there is someone at work that encourages my development, this last year I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow, in the last seven days I have received recognition or praise for doing good work, and I have a best friend at work.
Rhode Island was one of three New England states to make the list, with the others being Connecticut and Vermont.

Click here to see the ten states where people hate going to work the most.

 

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