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4/7/2021
What a difference a few years makes!
During the Trump administration, the U.S. pulled out of the international climate agreement, EPA scientists were gagged from even speaking about climate change, and the Department of the Interior proposed drilling for oil off the Rhode Island coast. Here in Rhode Island, Speaker Mattiello said, “There’s nothing Rhode Island can do to address climate change in a way that’s real or impactful.”
Our leaders were out of touch with science and out of touch with the public. The science could not be clearer: if we don’t phase out fossil fuel emissions by 2050, global temperatures will rise by 5 to 9 degrees fahrenheit during our children’s lifetimes, destabilizing weather patterns, crops, oceans, our national security, and life on Earth.
Former Speaker Nick Mattiello blocked the passage of legislation
Rhode Island has a new Speaker of the House and a new Governor. This is a moment in time that is ripe for a big nod towards good government. The time is ripe to bring the line-item veto to Rhode Island.
The line-item veto is a budgetary check and balance that exists in 44 other states, including our next-door neighbors Massachusetts and Connecticut. The veto allows a governor to delete a specific spending line from a budget, subject to the legislature’s override vote.
The Rhode Island House of Representatives has fought hard against the veto since 2014, when a concerted effort began to bring the veto to Rhode Island. Polling shows that a clear majority of Rhode Islanders (more than 60%) want the line-item veto. Members of the House have been at odds with the desires of their constituents when it comes to the line-item veto.GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST