Letter: General Assembly is asleep at the wheel

Posted 5/28/20

To the editor:

Rhode Islanders have lost our voice. Whether or not we approve of how our governor is responding to this crisis, we have lost our voice. Regardless of our individual opinions …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Letter: General Assembly is asleep at the wheel

Posted

To the editor:

Rhode Islanders have lost our voice. Whether or not we approve of how our governor is responding to this crisis, we have lost our voice. Regardless of our individual opinions about reopening our economy, we have lost our voice. RI’s legislative branch - specifically the Democratic majority - chooses not to convene to provide even the semblance of oversight to our executive branch’s unchecked power, we have lost our voice. 

In their letter published nearly 80 days into this pandemic, representatives Speakman (Dist. 68) and Donovan (Dist. 69) make it abundantly clear that they have voluntarily surrendered our voice to the governor of our state and our federal delegation. Per statute, “...no state of disaster emergency may continue for longer than thirty (30) days unless renewed by the governor.” Monday,  will mark the third renewal of the governor’s original executive order - an order tacitly condoned by our state legislator’s willful refusal to meet.

The ninth amendment explicitly restrains the federal government by enumerating its powers. The 10th amendment reserves the remaining power “...to the States respectively, or to the people.” By obfuscating their responsibilities as elected representatives, our legislators have effectively given up precisely when we need them the most. They have violated their public trust and should either fulfill their duly elected responsibilities or resign their positions immediately. 

They do not need to wait for “permission” from the governor or even house and senate leadership. Our general assembly and every one of its committees can convene at any time when a majority of the body is present. The minority caucus has announced they wish to convene the house committee on oversight - if not the entire body. This means, at the very least, local representatives Knight (Dist. 67) and Speakman (Dist. 68), who both serve on the oversight committee, represent two of the seven additional Democrat members needed to convene and provide what we need now more than ever in our state government - transparency and oversight. Get back to work!

William Hunt Jr.

7 Beechwood Court

Warren

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.