They want to take back money awarded to fight hunger, homelessness, child health care, environmental pollution, animal abuse and more
By Will Collette
According to a news release issued by the RI Republican
Party, Attorney General Peter Neronha disbursed money paid by Barletta
Construction for dumping toxic waste at the 6-10 Connector site in Providence “in
direct violation of statutory law.”
Their news release lists the groups that received the funds
including Save the Bay, Crossroads RI, the United Way, RI ASPCA and other groups
who are evidently not MAGA.
The Republicans want the General Assembly to “claw-back” the
money.
The GOP beef is that they believe RI law says that only the
General Assembly can disburse money while the Attorney General believes civil
settlement money can be apportioned by his office.
During my career in the environmental movement, groups I worked with frequently participated in similar settlement negotiations and nearly always, parceling out of settlement money was part of the deal. But apparently this is a shocking new thing for RIGOP leaders.
Personally, I believe the Rhode Island Republicans have no
moral standing to squawk about issues like this so long as they remain silent
about the gross abuses of power being committed daily by our Felon-in-Chief.
But that’s just me.
If you wish, you can continue to read the entire RIGOP news
release below.
RI Republicans to offer budget amendment to claw back state taxpayer money illegally given away by AG to private pet cause
State House, Providence, RI - State Representatives Brian C.
Newberry and George Nardone have prepared a budget amendment ahead of
Tuesday to claw back $11 million in funds State Attorney General Peter Neronha
funneled to his office, DEM and the Rhode Island Foundation, in direct
violation of statutory law. The amendment would take money out of the AG’s
operating budget and redirect it to the following organizations:
- Economic Progress Institute - $1,000,000
- Rhode Island Kids Count - $1,000,000
- The Arthur E. Coia Scholarship & Education Fund at the Laborers’ International Union of North America - $1,000,000
- Women’s Fund of Rhode Island - $1,000,000
- Progreso Latino - $1,000,000
- United Way of Rhode Island - $1,000,000
- The Rhode Island Dental Association, to support pediatric dental care in the City of Providence - $1,000,000
- The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - $1,000,000
- Save the Bay - $1,000,000
- Crossroads Rhode Island - $1,000,000
- Sojourner House - $1,000,000
RIGL Title 42 explicitly mandates that the proceeds of any
monetary settlements entered into by the Attorney General on behalf of the
State be paid into the general fund, which is controlled by the General
Assembly, but Neronha ignored that mandate last month when he settled the 6/10
connector contaminated soil case with the general contractor Barletta.
“The law is crystal clear” said Newberry. “In fact, I
don’t think the Attorney General even argues that point. Instead his public
defense of his conduct is that the Assembly cannot usurp his power and thus he
is free to ignore the statute entirely, a statute that was passed
incidentally at his request to help him resolve a dispute with the
Governor over staffing a few years ago. He seems to be
confusing the power he has to decide whether to pursue and/or settle civil
legal cases as the chief law enforcement officer representing the state in
court with the power to decide how to actually use any money recovered.
Those are two very different things.”
“The reality is that the Rhode Island Constitution says very
little about the powers of the Attorney General other than they are proscribed
by law. The Assembly makes the laws not him. Title 42 chapter 9 is
an entire statutory scheme delineating the powers and duties of the AG’s
office. Yes, he is a “constitutional officer” so
without a constitutional amendment we couldn’t eliminate his position
but if we chose we could defund it nearly entirely, and then set up a completely
different department of government headed by someone else to handle
prosecutions. Given his grandiose public statement about the
limits or lack of same of his perceived power maybe that’s not a bad
idea. No kings indeed.”
Representative George Nardone added: “I commend the Attorney
General for using legal channels to secure settlement funds. However, after
reviewing applicable statutes, I see no provision in Rhode Island law that
authorizes him to redirect those funds to a private foundation without the
approval of the General Assembly. As a member of the House Finance Committee, I
am fully aware of the budgetary pressures we face this year. In light of those
challenges, it is critical that all parties, including the Attorney General,
the Rhode Island Foundation, and the General Assembly, act in good faith to
ensure the funds are deposited into the state’s General Fund, where they belong
and where they can be allocated through the proper legislative process
“I had hoped the Rhode Island Foundation would step up and
do the right thing and return the money but since they haven’t, this is the
simplest way to address the problem, said Newberry. “Now it will be incumbent
on the AG to fill the hole in his own budget by unwinding the settlement to get
the money back and returned to the proper appropriation process, which is
certainly within his power to do. If we don’t act now we will only be ratifying
his conduct and setting a terrible precedent allowing him and his
successors the ability to use taxpayer money as a private piggy back
for pet causes for whatever suits their fancy. This cannot stand.”