Saturday, April 13, 2013
The Newport County Chamber of Commerce supports local lawmakers' efforts to find sustainable funding for bridge maintenance other than relying on tolls.
The Board of Directors of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce unanimously voted to support Sen. Louis DiPalma’s bill to freeze tolls on the Newport Bridge and prohibit tolling on the Sakonnet River Bridge. Co-sponsored by senators Teresa Paiva Weed, Walter S. Felag, Christopher S. Ottiano and David Bates, DiPalma’s bill is unique from all other legislation relating to bridge tolling. Senate Bill 0242 not only prohibits tolling on the Sakonnet, Mt. Hope and Jamestown Verrazano bridges but it also freezes tolls on the Newport Pell Bridge. This bill is the first to address the need for a sustainable funding mechanism for bridge maintenance and for state Department of Transportation (DOT) funding, making it the first real opportunity for …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Tiverton and Little Compton Sen. Louis DiPalma issued recommendations to cut DMV wait times, among others.
Senate Commission recommends changes to speed DMV waits The Special Senate Commission to Study the Division of Motor Vehicles, led by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Newport, Little Compton, Tiverton), issued several recommendations, including that the DMV post current waiting times for its Cranston headquarters and all its branches on its website to help customers plan for or avoid long lines. Click here to see news release. Gallison proposes ignition locks: Rep. Raymond Gallison (D-Bristol, Portsmouth) sponsored the House version of a bill that would allow judges to order ignition locks for drivers convicted of DUI and alcohol-related offenses. Gallison's bill was one of several aimed at reducing DUI and related …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sen. DiPalma, who serves as the Chair of the Commission to Study the Division of Motor Vehicles, says providing real-time information about DMV wait times could help people avoid long lines.
Information is the key to cutting down on waiting times at the Division of Motor Vehicles, according to a Senate commission that today issued recommendations on ways to improve service there. The Special Senate Commission to Study the Division of Motor Vehicles, which has been studying the DMV since late 2011, made several recommendations today, including one that the division post current waiting times for its Cranston headquarters and all of its branches on its website to help customers plan for or avoid long lines. “While there have been significant improvements in recent years at the DMV – the average wait is now down to about 30 minutes – there are still opportunities for more. Giving people current, real-time information about how …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Tiverton parents and the School Committee chairwoman said they would not endorse a bill that would charge students for participation in extracurricular activities.
Tiverton parents and School Committee members expressed opposition toward a bill introduced by Sen. Louis DiPalma (Newport, Middletown, Tiverton, Little Compton) that would allow Rhode Island public school districts to charge students for involvement in extracurricular activities. The bill, (S 0112), is a response to Rhode Island communities that are struggling to provide funding for activities like sports and band - specifically the Middletown School Committee, which is struggling to close budget shortfalls. Families that are unable to afford the fee would be able to apply for an exception, said DiPalma. "The Rhode Island Interscholastic League, when I go up to meetings there, has said that sports and extracurricular activities are an …
Friday, February 22, 2013
Senator Louis DiPalma and State Rep. Dennis Canario will report on current legislative issues and the progress of the General Assembly on March 5, 2013 at 7:00 PM at the Little Compton Community Center on the Commons.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Tiverton's legislators told the Town Council on Monday that any plans to subvert tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge would need to fill a $17 million funding gap.
Tiverton's legislative delegation told the Town Council on Monday that any efforts to undermine the the placement of tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge would need to address a $17 million annual funding shortfall. According to Sen. Louis P. DiPalma, to maintain Newport County's four bridges - the Newport Pell Bridge, Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, Mt. Hope Bridge, and the Sakonnet - will cost the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) $38 million annually over the next 10 years. Effectively, the revenues from a Sakonnet River Bridge toll would do more to pay for maintenance projects on the RITBA's other older bridges, as the Sakonnet River Bridge is a state-of-the-art new construction, said Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist. Dist. 70…
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Tiverton Town Hall
343 Highland Rd, Tiverton, RI
/articles/without-sakonnet-tolls-bridges-face-17-million-funding-shortfall
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Tuesday, January 22, 2013
After an initial review of the proposed budget, State Sen. Dipalma listed two concerns
Two weeks into the new year, Gov. Lincoln Chafee gave his State of the State address to the Rhode Island General Assembly and introduced his proposed $8.2-billion 2013-2014 budget. "I submit this budget to the General Assembly on Jan. 16th, on time and the earliest that a governor has done so in over two decades," said the governor. Sen. Louis DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Newport, Little Compton, Tiverton) who serves as the vice-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said after an initial review, he had concerns that aid for developmental disability communities was not listed as a priority. Additionally, he expressed concern that an annual funding increase to nursing homes was suspended in the proposed budget. The priorities already…
Monday, January 21, 2013
The following was provided by the Rhode Island State House
Sen. Louis P. DiPalma has introduced legislation that would ease an annual nightmare for teachers, school administrators and school committees by moving the layoff notification date for teachers from March 1 to June 1. The bill (2013-S 0049) is aimed at preventing schools from having to issue as many unnecessary layoff notices to teachers due to budget uncertainties. “Because of the way the state and local budget systems work, schools have very little information about their budgets for the following year by March 1, when they are required to notify any teachers who might be laid off. The result is that they regularly have to issue pink slips to dozens or, in some cases, even hundreds of teachers to make sure they’re covered for the worst-…
Friday, June 15, 2012
Although the EBEC bill did not pass the House last week, its leaders would like to see it reintroduced this winter.
In 2009, the East Bay Energy Consortium (EBEC) was founded in order to explore the feasibility of combining resources across the nine East Bay municipal lines to invest in renewable energy sources. A bill to establish the group as a non-profit governmental entity, passed the Senate, but last week it was held before it got to the House. The House Environment and Natural Resources Committee determined it should be "held for further study," which essentially, killed the bill. “It was a bit of a disappointment that it didn’t come out of the committee to be heard on the floor,” said Jeanne-Marie Napolitano, Chair of the EBEC Board. Napolitano also serves as a City Council member for Newport. The Board will meet within a month to determine …
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
A bill that would require projects that receive state or federal funding to take into account all roadway users passed the General Assembly on Monday
On Monday, with House approval, the General Assembly approved legislation aimed to make the roads safer for not only motorists, but also bicyclists, public transportation users and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. The goal is to plan streets that encourage people to use healthy, greener transportation modes. The legislation, 2012-S 2131, 2012-H 7352, sponsored by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma and Rep. Peter Martin, requires the state to use “complete street” design features in all federal and state-funded road construction projects. The legislation was approved by the Senate last February. “Cars shouldn’t be the only consideration when public roads are being built," said DiPalma. "The health and environmental benefits of walking, …
Pat Silvia
11:54 pm on Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Robert, why don't you just explain to all of us what your business is at the State House? I am really interested. What do you really do there? You have written about your creds and insider knowledge many times, but never gave specifics. If you are to be believed, you should give us some background. more ›