January 26, 2010

Further Study for Stooges

Justin Katz

Somebody in the room for the surprisingly close vote to eliminate "hold for further study" as an acceptable method of killing legislation in Rhode Island's General Assembly wrote to tell me that he's sure that, at one point, the green lights outnumbered the red, indicating passage of the good-government change. Then, House Speaker Bill Murphy said something that my source didn't catch, and enough votes suddenly changed to put the revolt down.

In other words, legislators know that this is one of the methods whereby the leadership rules the coop. They know it's a slimy way whereby legislators avoid accountability for their votes. And so, those thirty-three votes against the amendment that Rep. Rod Driver (D, Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond) proposed deserve a place on the Legislative Stooge List.

New to the list as a result of the vote are Lisa Baldelli-Hunt, Kenneth Carter, Christopher Fierro, Douglas Gablinske, John McCauley, Helio Melo, Peter Petrarca, Deborah Ruggiero, and Patricia Serpa.

Anchor Rising's (Do Not Vote for the) Legislative Stooge List - House

Name Party Constituents Reason
Edith Ajello D District 3, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Joseph Almeida D District 12, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Samuel Azzinaro D District 37, Westerly H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Lisa Baldelli-Hunt D District 49, Woonsocket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
David Caprio D District 34, Narragansett, South Kingstown H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
John Carnevale D District 13, Providence, Johnston H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Kenneth Carter D District 31, North Kingstown, Exeter H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Elaine Coderre D District 60, Pawtucket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Steven Costantino D District 8, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Roberto DaSilva D District 63, East Providence, Pawtucket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
John DeSimone D District 5, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Grace Diaz D District 11, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Mary Duffy Messier D District 62, East Providence, Pawtucket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Deborah Fellela D District 43, Johnston H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Frank Ferri D District 22, Warwick H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Christopher Fierro D District 51, Woonsocket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Robert Flaherty D District 23, Warwick H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Gordon Fox D District 4, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Douglas Gablinske D District 68, Bristol, Warren H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Raymond Gallison D District 69, Bristol, Portsmouth H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Joanne Giannini D District 7, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Scott Guthrie D District 28, Coventry H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Arthur Handy D District 18, Cranston H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Peter Kilmartin D District 61, Pawtucket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Donald Lally D District 33, Narragansett, North Kingstown, South Kingstown H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Charlene Lima D District 14, Cranston H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Karen MacBeth D District 52, Cumberland H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Peter Martin D District 75, Newport H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Nicholas Mattiello D District 15, Cranston H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
John McCauley D District 1, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Joseph McNamara D District 19, Cranston, Warwick H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Helio Melo D District 64, East Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Rene Menard D District 45, Lincoln, Cumberland H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
William Murphy D District 26, West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Eileen Naughton D District 21, Warwick H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Patrick O'Neill D District 59, Pawtucket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Edwin Pacheco D District 47, Burrillville, Glocester H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Peter Palumbo D District 16, Cranston H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Peter Petrarca D District 44, Johnston, Lincoln, Smithfield H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Michael Rice D District 35, South Kingstown H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Deborah Ruggiero D District 74, Jamestown, Middletown H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
William San Bento D District 58, North Providence, Pawtucket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
John Savage R District 65, East Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Gregory Schadone D District 54, North Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
David Segal D District 2, Providence, East Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Patricia Serpa D District 27, Coventry, Warwick, West Warwick H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Mary Ann Shallcross-Smith D District 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Agostinho Silva D District 56, Central Falls H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Scott Slater D District 10, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Raymond Sullivan D District 29, Coventry, West Greenwich H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Stephen Ucci D District 42, Cranston, Johnston H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Kenneth Vaudreuil D District 57, Central Falls, Cumberland H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance, against ending "for further study" rule
Donna Walsh D District 36, Charlestown, New Shoreham, South Kingstown, Westerly H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Peter Wasylyk D District 6, Providence, North Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Anastasia Williams D District 9, Providence H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance
Thomas Winfield D District 53, Glocester, Smithfield H5613A, mandating teacher health insurance

Anchor Rising's (Do Not Vote for the) Legislative Stooge List - Senate

Name Party Constituents Reason
Frank Ciccone D District 7, Providence, North Providence S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Daniel Connors D District 19, Cumberland, Lincoln S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Elizabeth Crowley D District 16, Central Falls, Pawtucket, Cumberland S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Frank DeVall D District 18, East Providence S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Louis DiPalma D District 12, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Tiverton S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Jamie Doyle D District 8, Pawtucket S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Paul Fogarty D District 23, Burrillville, Glocester, North Smithfield S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Hanna Gallo D District 27, Cranston S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Maryellen Goodwin D District 1, Providence S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Paul Jabour D District 5, Providence S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Charles Levesque D District 11, Bristol, Portsmouth S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Erin Lynch D District 31, Warwick S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Christopher Maselli D District 25, Johnston S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
John McBurney D District 15, Pawtucket S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Michael McCaffrey D District 29, Warwick S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Harold Metts D District 6, Providence S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Joshua Miller D District 28, Cranston, Warwick S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Teresa Paiva Weed D District 13, Jamestown, Newport S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Rhoda Perry D District 3, Providence S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Roger Picard D District 20, Woonsocket, Cumberland S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Juan Pichardo D District 2, Providence S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Dominick Ruggerio D District 4, Providence, North Providence S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
James Sheehan D District 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Susan Sosnowski D District 37, New Shoreham, South Kingston S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
John Tassoni D District 22, Smithfield, North Smithfield S0777Aaa, mandating teacher health insurance
Comments, although monitored, are not necessarily representative of the views Anchor Rising's contributors or approved by them. We reserve the right to delete or modify comments for any reason.

"the green lights outnumbered the red, indicating passage of the good-government change. Then, House Speaker Bill Murphy said something that my source didn't catch, and enough votes suddenly changed to put the revolt down."

Stunning.

This is a rare public confirmation of what is usually only evident by the legislation passed (and the state of our economy): the leadership and too many members of the General Assembly are there to do their own business, not the people's business.

Posted by: Monique at January 26, 2010 8:03 AM

I applaud your fairness - you just put a couple of conservatives on the stooge list.
Please don't make Baldelli-Hunt and Gablinske disappear the way Murphy "disappeared" those votes against him.

Posted by: rhody at January 26, 2010 10:31 AM

Why should you be surprised at our fairness? The point of the Stooge List is that some votes are so ill-considered or slimy that they deserve demerits. There's no adjustment for ideology, and that approach is surely not inconsistent with our general approach.

Posted by: Justin Katz at January 26, 2010 5:45 PM

Hi!
I am Chair of the House Republican District#38 Committee, all of Hopkinton and part of Westerly. If you know someone who wants to run as a Republican in this district all of Hopkinton and parts of Westerly let me know. Incumbent Brian Patrick Kennedy, (D),.
Also I am Vice Chair of the Hopkinton Republican Town Committee. Any candidate you know interested in running as a Republican in Hopkinton this year, have them contact me.
Regards,
Scott Bill Hirst
401-377-4643
scottbillhirst@yahoo.com

Posted by: Scott Bill Hirst at January 26, 2010 6:09 PM
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