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The progressives’ plan for 2024 in Rhode Island – The Boston Globe

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The progressives’ plan for 2024 in Rhode Island – The Boston Globe


Governor Dan McKee has given his State of the State address. The GOP has delivered its response. The House speaker and the Senate president have held their big fund-raising kickoffs.

Now it’s the progressives’ big day to roll out their plans for 2024.

At least 20 members of the House and Senate are holding a 3 p.m. press conference at the State House to roll out what they call their Working Families agenda for the year, backing legislation that includes the expansion of paid leave for families, free school lunch for all students, and granting homeowners the right to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to provide housing that’s affordable.

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The Working Families Party – which in Rhode Island equals Democrats who have the backing of the group – is also planning to announce support for several other housing-related bills as well as legislation that would provide more funding for RIPTA, allow the state to wholesale cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, and reform the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.

Stepping back: The Working Families group unabashedly backs progressives in the state, but unlike some of the other left-leaning coalitions, they routinely have a targeted plan and message – especially in an election year. They have played a crucial role in slowly moving both chambers to the left in recent years.

This year’s legislative agenda is no different. The lawmakers know that not all of their bills have a chance to pass this year; for example, it’s highly unlikely the General Assembly will raise taxes on people who earn more than $1 million a year. But they are standing side by side with House Speaker Joe Shekarchi – the ultimate moderate – on ADUs because they view it as both good politics and good policy.

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Stepping back further: Working Families does have something to prove heading into an election year. The group went all-in on supporting Aaron Regunberg for Congress last year, and he was beaten rather handily by former President Biden aide Gabe Amo in the Democratic primary. Not every progressive was thrilled with that endorsement.

Under the hood: The proposal to expand paid family leave from six weeks to 12 weeks (Representative Joshua Giraldo from Central Falls is the House sponsor) already has a high-profile support in Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. That’s a bill that could get a serious look this year.

This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.


Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.

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2 dead, 1 seriously hurt after crash on I-95 South in Warwick

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2 dead, 1 seriously hurt after crash on I-95 South in Warwick


WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.

Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.

According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.

The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.

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The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.

A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.

State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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Judge rejects DOJ push for Rhode Island voter information

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Judge rejects DOJ push for Rhode Island voter information


A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.

Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.

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McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.

“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.

Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”

“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”

The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.

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The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.

The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.

At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.

The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than $500K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe

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Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than 0K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe


As the two-year anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, widowed single father Scott Naso is sounding an alarm to fellow parents across the country — and especially in Rhode Island, where he lives with his now 4-year-old daughter, Laila.



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