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.  

Rain is causing problems in multiple states. On the East Coast, storms are impacting millions with flash flood warnings out Monday for parts of New York City and New Jersey where Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency. The storm system sent floodwaters rushing through New York subway stations. Meanwhile in Texas, rain is hampering recovery efforts in the flood-ravaged Texas Hill Country. Search and rescue efforts were put on hold on Monday after a storm system brought more dangerous conditions to Central Texas where over 160 people are still missing after July 4th floods claimed some 130 lives.        The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to resume layoffs at the Department of Education. The court ruled 6-3 to lift a judge's order that reinstated employees let go in mass layoffs. All three liberal judges dissented and said the ruling is "indefensible."        The Trump Administration has filed notice to appeal a federal judge's order blocking immigration raids across seven Southern California counties. The judge cited Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. The ruling says immigration authorities may not base suspicion solely on factors like a person's apparent race or ethnicity or the fact that they speak Spanish.        Vaccines will be the focus of a Congressional hearing today. The Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee is holding a hearing titled, "Voices of the Vaccine Injured" chaired by Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Johnson has expressed skepticism about vaccines, particularly the COVID-19 vaccines.        A SpaceX spacecraft with four astronauts on board has successfully splashed down off the coast of San Diego. The Dragon capsule returned to Earth early this morning. The craft undocked from the International Space Station on Monday as part of Axiom Mission Four which saw the astronauts call the ISS home for about 18 days.        The 2025 Emmy nominations are set to be announced this morning. Actors Brenda Song and Harvey Guillen will unveil this year's nominees with shows like "The Bear," "Andor," "The White Lotus" and "The Pitt" all expected to fare well.       

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