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On Sunday, there will be a funeral on the State House steps for all the climate bills that died a silent death because of our state Legislature’s grossly undemocratic process. But the funeral isn’t just for the environment: The legislative dysfunction applies to all issues.
This year, 19 of the 20 bills endorsed by Climate Action Rhode Island simply disappeared. No vote was ever taken on them because the leaders of the House and Senate did not want one. That’s how our Legislature works. Nothing comes to a vote without the specific approval of the Senate president or the House speaker.
Rank-and-file legislators — the people we elect to represent our interests — never get to cast a vote on our behalf unless leadership decides the bill should pass. If leadership decides to allow a vote, you can bet the bill will be approved.
Here’s how democracy is subverted in Rhode Island: When a bill is filed, it’s assigned to a committee, which automatically votes to refer it for “further study.” This is true for every bill, regardless of its merits or popularity. The vast majority of bills are never heard from again because “further study” is where bills are sent to “disappear” Rhode Island style.
No bill is allowed to return to committee without the blessing of leadership. Even the committee chairperson cannot call a bill forth from purgatory without leadership approval.
This makes committee hearings into a charade and public testimony meaningless because the committee members have no power to act on a bill unless leadership gives them a green light. This is not democracy. Two people run the whole show. The rest is stagecraft.
So let’s use those environmental bills as a case study.
Of the 20 bills, 17 went to “further study” and disappeared. No debate, no vote, no nothing. Just silence. (In case you’re curious, this included bills that would have funded public transit, purchased clean energy from offshore wind, and required the fossil fuel companies that are causing climate change help clean up the mess they’ve made).
Of the three remaining bills, two passed in one chamber, but were never released from in “further study” in the other, thus bringing the death toll to 19 of 20.
One bill passed — a minor improvement that removes the limits on how many solar panels homeowners can put on their house.
The environmental community’s top-priority bill is particularly instructive.
Half of all carbon emissions in Rhode Island come from buildings. The Building Decarbonization bill would have created a multi-year program to gradually decrease building emissions. It applied only to the state’s largest buildings and would have had no impact on homeowners.
The bill was introduced in both the House and Senate and both were referred to “further study.” The original bill was never voted on in either chamber. Instead, after several months of silence, a substitute bill suddenly appeared that gutted the original bill so severely that it no longer required any reduction in carbon emissions. It was pretty close to useless, but would have allowed leadership to claim they had passed environmental legislation.
The gutted bill moved swiftly through committee and was approved by the full House with no public testimony allowed. But even this gutted bill failed to become law because the Senate leadership never called a vote. I would say it was dead on arrival, except it never arrived at all.
The public should be outraged, as should the many dedicated legislators who have been disempowered by this undemocratic process. Both should demand change. It’s time for legislators to act like leaders instead of vassals.
Are Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson despotic leaders or benign dictators? Who knows. But well-intentioned or not, they are dictators. And that isn’t healthy for the state.
Providence-based writer Bill Ibelle is a member of Climate Action Rhode Island and the Rhode Island chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby.
Local News
A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.
Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.
Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.
The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said.
Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.
Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.
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CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.
The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.
Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.
Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)
“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”
The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.
Local News
A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.
Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.
The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.
That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said.
When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.
First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.
The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.
Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.
Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.
Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.
The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.
“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.
Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.
Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.
“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.
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