Same-sex marriage
The Rhode Island House overwhelmingly approved a bill last Thursday that would make Rhode Island the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill now goes to the Senate — the branch of the General Assembly historically less supportive of same-sex marriage — where its fate remains unclear. Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, D-Newport — who personally opposes same-sex marriage legislation — has promised to allow a committee to vote on the bill but has not provided a timetable for action.
A breakdown of senator support for same-sex marriage yesterday by the Providence Journal revealed an evenly-divided body. Rhode Island has 39 senators, so the bill’s advocates need to secure 20 votes to ensure the bill’s passage — assuming all members vote. The Journal counted 11 senators co-sponsoring a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and 11 others co-sponsoring a bill that would call for a voter referendum to amend the state constitution to define marriage as “the lawful union of one man and one woman.”
The Journal article explained that co-sponsoring a bill did not ensure that senator’s support for the given issue. Rep. William San Bento Jr., D-Pawtucket, voted against the same-sex marriage bill in the House but was a co-sponsor. He told the Journal he only co-sponsored the bill so it would be heard and voted on in committee.
Of the remaining 17 senators, the Journal found “four leaning in favor of same-sex marriage and four who oppose it.”
‘Katie’s Law’
State Sen. David Bates, R-Barrington, and Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy, D-Hopkinton, introduced legislation that would require the collection of DNA from all individuals arrested for a broad set of violent crimes. In honor of Katie Sepich who was murdered in New Mexico in 2003 — a crime the woman’s parents believe could have been solved sooner if DNA tests had been mandated by law — the bill has been named “Katie’s Law.”
Similar legislation has been introduced and adopted in states around the country. President Obama signed a federal version of “Katie’s Law” Jan. 10.
Under the proposed law, officers would take DNA samples from any individual arrested for the variety of violent crimes included in the legislation, but — like fingerprints — would delete the data from the system if he or she is acquitted of the crime.
Business collaboration
The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation joined with both branches of the General Assembly to create a database “for tracking business-related legislation in the 2013 legislative session,” according to a state press release. Officials designed the database to help Rhode Islanders, the business community and legislators keep track of pending legislation related to “tax structure, regulatory climate, public safety and economic development,” according to the press release. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 said he believes the collaboration will show businesses that Rhode Island is actively working toward making the state more welcoming to business.
ADVERTISEMENT
