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Compare the following two statements made by RI House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello near the beginning and end of Monday’s overlong press conference dealing with reforms to the legislative grants process. Mattiello early on suggests that these grants help fulfill the needs of Rhode Islanders in a way that delivers services cheaper, because we can avoid the cost of hiring state employees and giving these new employees benefits such as health care and retirement.
“There are vital citizenry needs that are being performed by community agencies that are not well performed by any other state department or state agencies,” says Mattiello, “And we’re able to address those citizens’ needs without having to hire additional state employees with all the benefits that that entails.”
About 30 minutes in, however, Mattiello bemoans the fact that there is no real way to know how effective these grants are because the legislature doesn’t have “direct control” over the entities receiving the money.
“It’s difficult… to give money to an agency that you don’t have direct control over. You don’t have the same safe guards and systems in place that you do with direct state departments. It’s easier to watch state dollars being administered by state departments so that was an inherent problem and it’s one that we were mindful of when we made the determination of eliminating the entire process.”
Mattiello’s take on legislative grants is incoherent. Since there is no oversight concerning the way much of this money is spent, it’s impossible to tell how effective these grants are. Our state may literally be throwing money away. However, if we demand a system of accountability we would have to fund and staff state employees to do this work, which means paying these employees, which we can’t afford to do, despite the “vital” needs of Rhode Islanders.
Mattiello’s contradictory statements confirm what many Rhode Islanders suspect: Either these grants don’t serve the needs of Rhode Islanders or Rhode Island’s needs are not truly being met by these grants. Worse, it seems that on some level, Mattiello is aware of this contradiction.
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It’s little wonder a Providence Journal editorial would shill for a fossil fuel company while ignoring the people of Burrillville. The once-trusted op/ed board has a long history of engaging in climate science denialism and valuing the will of corporations over the will of the people. But while the ProJo is entitled to its own opinions, it isn’t entitled to its own facts and today’s editorial deriding the Burrillville power plant bill being voted on today contains several errors, omissions, half truths and flat out lies.
I’ve annotated the editorial here. (Editor’s note: The Providence Journal changed the url on this editorial after it was annotated. Here is a new url. We will update this post again if the ProJo again changes the url. )
Click on the yellow highlighted phrases to find out what they really mean, or what the author should have written.
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The Conservation Law Fund (CLF) supports S-3037, by Senators Fogarty, Nesselbush, and Kettle, and respectfully urges passage of this bill. This bill addresses an important issue pertaining to the proposal by Invenergy to build a new 900 MW fossil-fuel power plant in Burrillville, RI.
CLF has considerable first-hand knowledge of the Invenergy proposal. CLF is the only environmental organization that has been admitted as a full party before the Energy Facility Siting Board (EFSB) in Docket SB 20 15-06, which is the Invenergy permitting proceeding. CLF is the only environmental organization that has been admitted as a full party in the Public Utilities Commission Docket # 4606 that is considering issues pertaining to Invenergy (including whether the proposed plant is even needed and what the ratepayer impacts might be).
In connection with these legal proceedings, CLF has received and reviewed thousands of pages of evidence, including significant quantities of confidential information pertaining to the Invenergy proposal. CLF urges passage of Senator Fogarty’s bill because it addresses a crucially important issue that is not being addressed anywhere else — and, indeed, cannot be addressed anywhere else: the matter of voter approval for tax treaties.
I respectfully direct your attention to the portion of this bill beginning on page 3, line 34, and running through page 4.
Under long-existing law, R.I. General Laws § 44-3-30, the Town Council of Burrillville has the legal ability to enter into tax agreements, called “tax treaties,” with the proponent or owner of electricity-generating plants within the Town. Senator Fogarty’s bill would make one crucially important change to this law. The bill would retain the long-existing power of the Burrillville Town Council to enter into these tax treaties — but would require voter approval of such treaties.
This bill is good for democratic process.
The only argument that I have personally heard from Invenergy’s lawyers against this provision in the Fogarty Bill is that, by requiring such voter approval for tax treaties, the Bill would stymie any and all infrastructure projects in the state. I was even told that passage of the Fogarty Bill would prevent small projects from going forward at the Johnston Land Fill.
This is untrue. The underlying, existing statute that the Fogarty Bill modifies pertains only to Burrillville, and only to electricity generators in Burrillville. The Bill would have no application and no effect anywhere else in the state.
Moreover, if enacted, the Fogarty Bill would not stop the Invenergy plant from being built — nor even prevent the Burrillville Town Council from entering into a tax treaty with Invenergy. The only thing the Fogarty Bill would do is require that any such tax treaty be voted on by the people of Burrillville.
And, in the event that such a tax treaty were turned down by Burrilliville voters, even that would not necessarily stop the Invenergy plant from being built. The tax treaty that was voted down would not take effect, but Invenergy could seek to negotiate a different tax treaty, or could even build the plant without a tax treaty.
In short, the scare tactics used by Invenergy and its allies to oppose this provision of the Fogarty Bill are just not true.
I want to address one other provision in this bill: the section on page 1, lines 7 to 14, that would enlarge the membership of the EFSB. When this bill was heard in the House Environment Committee on Thursday, May 26, National Grid expressed reservations about expanding the membership of the EFSB, and said that so expanding the EFSB could potentially jeopardize tens (or even hundreds) of millions of dollars of pending infrastructure projects.
CLF has long had reservations about the way the current EFSB is constituted; thus, CLF well understands the impulse to change how the EFSB is constituted. Nevertheless, CLF believes that the most critically important portion of Senator Fogarty’s bill is the portion on page 4 requiring voter approval of tax treaties. For that reason, if there is significant opposition to the provision on page 1 of the bill (changing the membership of the EFSB). CLF respectfully urges that you strip out that latter provision and pass the rest of the bill.
[This post was created with an advanced copy of Jerry Elmer’s testimony for tomorrow’s Senate Judiciary hearing.]
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Sam Bell, state coordinator of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats of America (RIPDA), filed an ethics complaint against Representative William O’Brien (District 54) last week. Bell alleges that when O’Brien ran for office in 2009 and 2011, he failed to file his first two required financial disclosure statements. Candidates are required to file financial disclosure statement for the preceding year.
A conservative Democrat from North Providence, Bill O’Brien was found to have plagiarized large portions of his website. Currently, O’Brien is facing a primary challenge from Democrat Bill Deware, a progressive and labor activist.
“Financial disclosure forms are vitally important,” said Bell in a statement, “Without them, we have no idea where politicians receive their income. Given that the [Raymond] Gallison scandal seems to be related to lawmakers’ income, tracking where politicians make their money is especially important.”
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General Assembly leaders say they are eliminating the controversial community service grants that former Rep. Ray Gallison used to fund an organization he worked for, but they are leaving in place the equally-controversial though often smaller legislative grants that lawmakers give to local groups.
House Speaker Nick Mattiello and Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed said they are pleased to add new layers of transparency to the community service grants and are satisfied with the existing layers of transparency with the legislative grants.
Paiva Weed said one reason not to address the smaller legislative grants is they were overhauled under the direction of former state Senator Michael Lenihan. Mattiello said another reason is legislative grants are often smaller.
But not always.
The speaker gave two legislative grants to the Cranston Police Department for $46,000 and another $25,000 grant to “Justice Assistance” in Cranston, according to this list of legislative grants. Mattiello said Cranston didn’t receive the additional funding because it is in any greater need than any other police department in the state, but rather because it was the only department to ask for a grant.
“I have never rejected an application” for a legislative grant, Mattiello said. “Everyone says the speaker utilizes them to give out and curry favor. It’s not what we use them, it’s not my practice.”
Other than the legislative grant to the Cranston police, most of these grants are much smaller. There are some $2 million worth of legislative grants given out each year. There were $11 million worth in community service grants and legislative leaders said that total will be cut by several million. The remaining grant money, they said, will be given to state departments to award in a competitive bidding process to organizations that will be subject to state audit.
Critics of the grant programs say legislators use them to curry favor in their districts. The grant programs became more politically toxic when former Rep. Ray Gallison, who recently resigned amid a a state and federal investigation of him, was found to ask for a community service grant for an organization, whose work is unclear, that employs him.
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It is difficult to find words that will adequately express the shock and sympathy over the tragic loss of patrolman Richard Jean-Georges off the coast of Costa Rica on June 6, 2015. Losing my good friend Jean-Georges, was the hardest moment I had to go through in the past year.
As a son of immigrants from Haiti, I felt honored to know this family. His family members are still experiencing trauma and need psychological assistance and social interventions to help them recover. The pain of losing someone who dedicated his life to protecting and serving his community shall never be forgotten.
I remember on the Saturday before his untimely death, we attended services at the Ephese Church, on Eddy Street in south Providence. He was as young, vibrant and full of energy and enthusiasm as ever. I recall how passionate he was when talking about his intention to support and mentor community youth. We chatted in detail and parted ways. A few days later, I received the devastating news that he was missing off the coast of Costa Rica.
Officer Jean-Georges was not only a good friend but also a fellow community leader whose aspirations have been similar to mine from childhood. I remember a few years ago we took the state police test together. I changed course but he proceeded to later join the Bristol Police Department. I was very proud of him. Since then, in my capacity as the founder of the New Bridges for Haitian Success, my conversations with him have always centered around uplifting our community. He was immensely concerned about the need for role models for our youth and always discussed ways to improve truancy, trouble with the law, and youth engagement. In short, he was a great community leader and a role model who many looked up to.
I am glad that the memory of this great officer, Jean-Georges is being kept alive. On Monday 20, 2016 it was with utmost pleasure to hear the great news that the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy launched the “Officer Richard J. Jean-Georges Memorial Physical Fitness Award”. I know that no words I can offer have the power to ease the loss, including the toughest, roughest, hardest moments that his family experience.
We celebrate this great human being whose memory and hard work continue to impact our community. You will be missed forever and I pray that you rest in peace in the name of holy Jesus.
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Tuesday June 7th will be a very busy day in RI. There will be a vote with the entire House on Rep. Cale Keable’s bill on the Clear River Energy Center.
Then right after join RI Progressive Democrats at the Wild Colonial on 250 South Water Street at 6:00pm for a fundraiser and viewing party of the final primaries.
The Political Revolution has just started and we need all hands on deck to keep the momentum going. Join us for desserts and conversation as we discuss how to get our progressive candidates elected and raise the funds needed to make it happen.
DONATE WHAT YOU CAN EVENT –
https://secure.squarespace.com/commerce/donate?donatePageId=569b3d14e0327c41cd99f92a
Lauren Niedel
Deputy State Coordinator RI Progressive Democrats
lniedel@gmail.com
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