April 2nd, 2008 clopes
On March 30, Common Cause RI was featured on the “10 News Conference” program with Jim Taricani and Bill Rappleye. Our Executive Director Christine Lopes answered questions during the 1/2 an hour interview covering the issues of Separation of Powers, Open Records, Ethics, and Campaign Finance Reform. The interview was a great opportunity to inform Rhode Islanders on the work Common Cause is doing to ensure open and ethical government in our state.
If you missed the program, you can view it online at the link provided below. Once on Channel 10’s website, you’ll need to scroll down and click on the March 30 program link.
Click here to see Common Cause on Channel 10
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
March 14th, 2008 clopes
Three years and four months after passage by 78.3 percent of those voting, the 2004 Separation of Powers (SOP) amendment to the Rhode Island constitution has not been fully implemented.
On March 14, Common Cause Rhode Island released Democracy Deferred, a 14-page white paper recounting the history of the Separation of Powers amendment since its passage.
Click Here to view Democracy Deferred
Click the link below to view the press release on the report:
THREE YEARS AND FOUR MONTHS AFTER PASSING SEPARATION OF POWERS, THE PUBLIC IS STILL WAITING!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
January 14th, 2008 admin
Common Cause has played key roles in passage of seven constitutional amendments that transformed all three branches of Rhode Island’s state government and have strengthened the foundation of representative democracy:
1. Creating one of the strongest ethics commissions in the nation (1986),
2. Strengthening the executive branch through four-year terms for statewide general officers(1992),
3. Establishing an open system for merit selection of state judges (1994),
4. Modernizing and downsizing the General Assembly (1994),
5. Establishing separation of powers that ends long-standing legislative control of executiveboards (2004),
6. Restoring the right to vote for felons upon their release from prison (2006),
7. Defeating a “resort casino” in the state Constitution (2006).
These amendments passed with the help of courageous public officials and broad, statewide coalitions including the RIghtNOW! Coalition, the Right to Vote Coalition, and the Save our State Coalition.
Common Cause also worked with many organizations and coalitions to win passage of laws that makeRhode Island government more open and accountable to the people:
1. Improving voter registration and other election procedures (1989, 2002),
2. Prohibiting nepotism by government officials (1991, 2006),
3. Ending“revolving door” jobs for state appointed and elected officials (1991) and for municipal elected officials (2006),
4. Reforming campaign contribution disclosure and limits (1992),
5. Making the process of legislative redistricting more open and accountable to the public (1992 and 2002),
6. Creating online access to legislative information (1994),
7. Protecting citizens from SLAPP-suits (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation)when they petition government (1995).
8. Strengthening public access to government meetings and records (1998),
9. Requiring online filing and disclosure of campaign finance reports (2001, fully operational 2006),
10. Establishing stringent new disclosure requirements for lobbyists (2004),
11. Securinga new ballot advocacy process that allows grassroots groups to campaign for oragainst referenda (2006),
12. Repealingor reconstructing 65 public or quasi-public boards to comply with the 2004Separation of Powers Amendment (2005-2006)
13. Creatinga new ballot advocacy process that enables grassroots groups to campaign for oragainst referenda (2006),
14. Closingthe loopholes and gaps in reporting by public officials, lobbyists, and statevendors (2006),
15. Preventingthe elimination of mandatory electronic campaign finance report filing byelected officials (2007).
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
December 11th, 2007 admin
Common Cause Rhode Island held its 37th Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 7. Over 170 attendees heard from Governor Bruce Sundlun and Governor Lincoln Almond about their time in office and about current issues facing Rhode Island.To read an article about the dinner visit the
Providence Journal website.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
