Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

 

 

May 21, 2020         

 

                                               

 

Both chambers schedule committee hearings next week

 

STATE HOUSE – Committee hearings have been scheduled in both chambers of the General Assembly next week.

The House Finance Committee plans to meet next week. Details will be announced.

The Senate has scheduled three committees to meet on separate days, each televised live on Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox on Channels 15 and 61, in high definition on Cox Channel 1061, on Full Channel on Channel 15 and on Channel 34 by Verizon subscribers, and live streamed at www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV.

The State House remains closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the public wishing to testify on any of the matters before the Senate committee may submit written testimony via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Senate has scheduled the following committee meetings:

·       Tuesday, May 26, 4 p.m. — The Senate Committee on Judiciary will meet in the Senate Lounge to take up the appointment of Lara Montecalvo as the public defender. The committee will also take up the appointment of East Providence Police Chief William Nebus to the State Traffic Commission as well as the appointments of Christopher Little and Jonathan Roberts to the Rhode Island Airport Corporation.

 

·       Wednesday, May 27, 4 p.m. — The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services will meet in the Senate Lounge to take up the appointment of A. Kathryn Power as the director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. The committee will also hold a hearing on a bill (2020-S 2525) sponsored by Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence) to have the health insurance commissioner adopt a uniform set of medical criteria for prior authorization and create a required form to be used by a health insurer.

 

·       Thursday, May 28, 4 p.m. —The Senate Committee on Finance will meet in the Senate Lounge to take up the appointment of Brett Smiley as the Director of the Department of Administration.

 The Senate Lounge will be disinfected nightly by a professional cleaning company and will be sealed off until 4 p.m. the next day to ensure the room remains clean. Only committee members and committee staff will be allowed in the Senate Lounge.  All nominees will participate remotely via WebEx.

There will be no legislative session in either chamber next week.

 

-30-

For an electronic version of this and all press releases published by the Legislative Press and Public Information Bureau, please visit our website at www.rilegislature.gov/pressrelease. 

 

 

 

 

 

An Arizona grand jury is indicting the 11 "fake electors" who were backing then-President Trump in 2020. A month after the election, the 11 people got together at the state's GOP headquarters to sign a certificate claiming to be Arizona's 11 electors to the Electoral College, although Biden had won by thousands of votes. His electors were also certified by state officials.        The Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on Donald Trump's claim he has absolute immunity on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 election. The outcome could determine whether Trump faces a federal trial this year on four felony counts brought by special counsel Jack Smith, which include conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding. Trump's legal team argues the former president should have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for any official acts taken while in office.        House Speaker Mike Johnson is demanding the president of Columbia University resign unless she reigns in anti-semitic protests. Speaking on the campus steps of the New York school with other GOP lawmakers, Johnson said no Jewish student should have to live in fear. His comments come as pro-Palestinian protests continue against Israel's war with Hamas.        The Biden Administration says it aims to cut freight emissions in the U.S. to zero. On Wednesday, officials laid out their goal to cut down harmful emissions from freight shipping. The White House says they hope to reach net-zero emissions in the transportation sector, and the entire U.S. economy, by 2050.        A new report can tell you if you're still earning enough to be considered middle class. Finance site SmartAsset analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pew Research Center to determine the middle class salary range in all 50 states. The national middle class salary range is 49-thousand-271-dollars to 147-thousand-828-dollars.        The MTV Video Music Awards are returning to New York. For the first time since 2021, the show will be back in New York and this time it will take place on Long Island at the UBS Arena in Elmont. It's the first for the arena and the show is set for September 10th. UBS Arena is the sixth New York arena to host the awards show.       

Old News Archives