To: The Rhode Island State Senate
Stop the undemocratic RI Senate power grab
Senate President Dominick Ruggerio is trying to undermine the people's voice in Rhode Island by rewriting the Senate Rules to give himself more power. We urge our senators to vote down his undemocratic rules (bill S0250A), which reduce the voice of ordinary senators and Rhode Islanders, and make it easier for the Senate President to punish senators who cross him.
Why is this important?
Senate President Ruggerio's undemocratic rule change (bill S0250A) allows the Senate president to kick senators off their favorite committee with a weak excuse, and bans Rhode Islanders from holding signs at Senate hearings. These alone are enough reason to oppose Ruggerio's proposal, and it has been condemned by Common Cause and Rhode Islanders for Reform. The bill undermines democracy in other ways too. (As I read it, it seems to rewrite debate rules so top senators get the lion's share of debate time while other senators' speaking time is limited, and it also lets reporters be barred from recording pictures of what happens in hearings, if the chair decides the pictures are a "distraction".) We don't need Rhode Island's government to become even more dominated by powerful insiders, which would allow more corrupt laws and projects to be rammed through. If our senators vote for this shady proposal in return for favors, they will leave a legacy of corruption that may last for decades.
https://upriseri.com/rhode-islanders-for-reform-senate-rules-changes-are-not-acceptable/
http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText19/Proposed19/S0250A.pdf
https://upriseri.com/rhode-islanders-for-reform-senate-rules-changes-are-not-acceptable/
http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText19/Proposed19/S0250A.pdf