Woonsocket Radio News Room

 


WEEKLY MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

 

Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz : It's time to vote on pay raises
When Governor Dan McKee requested pay raises for his cabinet directors for the second time in barely a 6-month span, Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz and Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers were quick to respond by calling for an up or down vote by the General Assembly.  Read the full press release here.

WEEKLY  LEGISLATIVE  HIGHLIGHTS

Morgan bill would limit who can mail voters’ mail ballots.
Senator Elaine Morgan (R-Dist. 34, Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond, West Greenwich) introduced the legislation (S-0395), ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS – MAIL BALLOTS. The bill Requires that only the mail ballot voter or their spouse/court appointed guardian/cohabitant/or adult person related to the voter by blood or marriage, be allowed to physically mail the voted mail ballot. The bill was referred to Senate Judiciary.  On March 7, the committee recommended the measure be held for further study.

Paolino bill would increase aggregate limit for tax credits.
Senator Thomas Paolino (R-Dist. 17, Lincoln, North Providence, North Smithfield) introduced the legislation (S-0267), ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- TAX CREDITS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCHOLARSHIP ORGANIZATIONS.  The legislation would increase the aggregate amount of tax credits for contributions to scholarship organizations to $5,000,000 for 2024.  The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

SESSION  HIGHLIGHTS

The Senate Minority Caucus was excited to welcome Leader Emeritus Dennis L. Algiere back to the Senate chamber on Thursday, March 16, as the General Assembly honored Irish and Italian cultures with their traditional celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day.  The Senate session included an Irish heritage address delivered by former Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey and an Italian heritage address delivered by former Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere. 

Read the Senate Resolution honoring Senator Dennis L. Algiere for his service to the people of the state of Rhode Island here. 

SENATE MINORITY NEWS

The Senate Minority Office extends proud congratulations to Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers on his appointment to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Advisory Council. Read full release here.
 

COMMUNITY  ENGAGEMENTS

Senator Anthony DeLuca welcomed students from Tollgate High School in Warwick to visit the Senate Minority Office during their tour of the State House March 16th.  

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on Donald Trump's claim of presidential immunity in his federal election interference case. Trump's attorney D. John Sauer argued that every president could face blackmail and extortion by political rivals if they don't have full immunity for official acts taken while in office. Justice Sonia Sotomayor pressed Sauer over the argument, asking whether a president who orders an assassination of a rival he views as corrupt can have immunity.        Former President Trump is back in a New York City court this morning as his criminal hush money trial resumes. Jurors will again hear testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker who has explained this week how he protected Trump from negative stories leading up to the 2016 presidential election while smearing Trump's opponents. Trump faces felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair.       Stocks are tanking after new economic data shows a sharp slowdown in growth. Gross domestic product rose by one-point-six-percent in the first quarter, against expectations of two-point-four-percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been down more than 650 points at times in today's session. The Nasdaq has been down over 200 points at times as well.       Texas Governor Greg Abbott says pro-Palestinian protesters in Austin are antisemitic and "belong in jail." The Republican also said students who join protests at any public college or university in Texas "should be expelled." This comes after hundreds of students walked out of classes Wednesday at the University of Texas and began a sit-in protest to support civilians in Gaza who are being bombed by Israel.        Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is having his conviction for sex crimes in New York overturned. The New York Court of Appeals ruled Weinstein did not receive a fair trial. The court found the judge in his trial made an error allowing women to testify about alleged sexual assaults committed by Weinstein that were not part of the charges against him. Weinstein was also sentenced in Los Angeles in February of last year to 16 years in prison after he was convicted of rape and that conviction still stands. The New York court has ruled a new trial must take place.       The NFL Draft kicks off in Detroit tonight. The Chicago Bears have the first pick and are widely expected to select University of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams. Quarterbacks are also expected to be taken by the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots with the second and third picks. The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers round out the teams drafting in the top five picks.        

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