Journal -Of The- House of Representatives
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State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations JOURNAL -OF THE- HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY SESSION of the General Assembly begun and held at the State House in the City of Providence on Tuesday, the fourth day of January in the year of Our Lord two thousand and eleven. Volume 138, No. 1 Tuesday, January 4, 2011 First Day The House of Representatives meets at the State House in Providence, Tuesday, January 4, 2011 and is called to order at 4:22 o’clock P.M., by the Honorable J. Russell Jackson, Senior Representative from Newport. APPROVAL OF RECORD By unanimous consent, the House Journal of Thursday, June 10, 2010 is approved as printed. INVOCATION The Honorable J. Russell Jackson presents Rabbi Peter W. Stein, Temple Sinai, President of the Rhode Island Board of Rabbis who delivers the Invocation. (For Invocation, see Appendix, this Journal.) POSTING OF COLORS The Honorable J. Russell Jackson requests the Rhode Island State Police Honor Guard to post the colors, accompanied by the R.I. Professional Fire Fighters Pipe & Drum Band. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Honorable J. Russell Jackson calls on Maria Diaz, Senior at Classical High School to lead the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. NATIONAL ANTHEM The Honorable J. Russell Jackson calls on Jacqueline Pina from the Class of 2011 at Rhode Island College to sing the National Anthem. H.J. -- 2 JOURNAL Tuesday, January 4, 2011 COMMUNICATION The Honorable J. Russell Jackson announces the receipt of the following communication: A. Ralph Mollis Secretary of State State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations CERTIFICATION I, A. Ralph Mollis, Secretary of State, hereby certify the following list of members elected to the House of Representatives in the General Assembly, in accordance with the certificate of election fled in this office by the Board of Elections on the eighteen day of November 2010, as provided by Section 22-3-13 of the General Laws of the 1956: 1. John J. McCauley, Jr. 2. Christopher R. Blazejewski 3. Edith H. Ajello 4. Gordon D. Fox 5. John J. DeSimone 6. Raymond A. Hull 7. Maria E. Cimini 8. Michael Tarro 9. Anastasia P. Williams 10. Scott A. Slater 11. Grace Diaz 12. Leo Medina 13. John M. Carnevale 14. Charlene Lima 15. Nicholas A. Mattiello 16. Peter G. Palumbo 17. Robert B. Jacquard 18. Arthur Handy 19. Joseph McNamara 20. David A. Bennett 21. Eileen Slattery Naughton 22. Frank G. Ferri 23. Robert E. Flaherty 24. Joseph A. Trillo 25. Jared R. Nunes 26. Patricia L. Morgan 27. Patricia A. Serpa 28. Scott J. Guthrie 29. Lisa P. Tomasso H.J. -- 3 JOURNAL Tuesday, January 4, 2011 30. Robert A. Watson 31. Doreen Marie Costa 32. Laurence W. Ehrhardt 33. Donald J. Lally, Jr. 34. Teresa Ann Tanzi 35. Spencer E. Dickinson 36. Donna M. Walsh 37. Samuel A. Azzinaro 38. Brian Patrick Kennedy 39. Larry Valencia 40. Michael W. Chippendale 41. Michael J. Marcello 42. Stephen R. Ucci 43. Deborah A. Fellela 44. Peter J. Petrarca 45. Rene R. Menard 46. Jeremiah T. O’Grady 47. Cale P. Keable 48. Brian C. Newberry 49. Lisa Baldelli-Hunt 50. Jon D. Brien 51. Robert D. Phillips 52. Karen L. MacBeth 53. Thomas J. Winfield 54. Gregory J. Schadone 55. Arthur J. Corvese 56. Agostinho F. Silva 57. James N. McLaughlin 58. William San Bento, Jr. 59. J. Patrick O’Neill 60. Elaine A. Coderre 61. Raymond H. Johnston, Jr. 62. Mary Duffy Messier 63. Roberto DaSilva 64. Helio Melo 65. John A. Savage 66. Joy Hearn 67. Jan Malik 68. Richard P. Morrison 69. Raymond E. Gallison, Jr. 70. John G. Edwards 71. Daniel P. Gordon, Jr. 72. Daniel Patrick Reilly 73. J. Russell Jackson 74. Deborah L. Ruggiero 75. Peter F. Martin H.J. -- 4 JOURNAL Tuesday, January 4, 2011 A. Ralph Mollis Secretary of State Received and placed on file. ROLL CALL The roll is called and a quorum is declared present with 75 members present and 0 members absent as follows: PRESENT - 75: Representatives Ajello, Azzinaro, Baldelli-Hunt, Bennett, Blazejewski, Brien, Carnevale, Chippendale, Cimini, Coderre, Corvese, Costa, DaSilva, DeSimone, Diaz, Dickinson, Edwards, Ehrhardt, Fellela, Ferri, Flaherty, Fox, Gallison, Gordon, Guthrie, Handy, Hearn, Hull, Jackson, Jacquard, Johnston, Keable, Kennedy, Lally, Lima, MacBeth, Malik, Marcello, Martin, Mattiello, McCauley, McLaughlin, McNamara, Medina, Melo, Menard, Messier, Morgan, Morrison, Naughton, Newberry, Nunes, O’Grady, O'Neill, Palumbo, Petrarca, Phillips, Reilly, Ruggiero, San Bento, Savage, Schadone, Serpa, Silva, Slater, Tanzi, Tarro, Tomasso, Trillo, Ucci, Valencia, Walsh, Watson, Williams and Winfield. ABSENT – 0. The Honorable J. Russell Jackson addresses the members of the House. APPOINTMENTS The Chair appoints Representative Azzinaro, Representative Baldelli-Hunt, Representative DaSilva, Representative Hearn, Representative Martin, Representative Messier, Representative Savage, Representative Serpa, Representative Silva, and Representative Slater to escort the Honorable Secretary of State to the rostrum of the House. OATH OF OFFICE A. Ralph Mollis, Secretary of State addresses the members of the House. The Representatives-elect rise, as Secretary of State, A. Ralph Mollis, administers the Oath of Office to all members. ELECTION OF SPEAKER The Honorable J. Russell Jackson calls for nominations. Representative Naughton nominates Representative Gordon D. Fox of Providence, to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. Representative Naughton discusses the nomination. The nomination is seconded by Representative Edwards. Representative Edwards offers his remarks. H.J. -- 5 JOURNAL Tuesday, January 4, 2011 The nomination is also seconded by Representatives Melo, Serpa, Ajello, Handy, Tarro, Mattiello, Ruggiero, Walsh, Martin, DaSilva, O’Neill, Johnston, Carnevale, Hearn, Marcello, Nunes, Ucci, Bennett, Williams, San Bento, Kennedy, Brien, Cimini, Fellela, Hull, McCauley, Keable, Coderre, Tanzi, DeSimone, Diaz, Slater, Palumbo, McNamara, Messier, Ferri, Gallison, Dickinson, Silva, Blazejewski, Petrarca, Valencia, Lally and Morrison. Representative Baldelli-Hunt nominates Representative Thomas Winfield to be Speaker of the House. The nomination is seconded by Representative Lima. Representative Lima offers her remarks. The nomination is also seconded by Representatives Menard, Schadone, Guthrie and Jacquard. Representative Ehrhardt nominates Representative Robert Watson to be Speaker of the House. Representative Ehrhardt offers his remarks. The nomination is also seconded by Representatives Newberry, Chippendale, Savage, Gordon, Trillo, Costa, Reilly and Morgan. The Honorable J. Russell Jackson asks if there are any other nominations. Representative Mattiello seconded by Representative O’Neill, moves that nominations be closed. The motion to close nominations prevails, on a voice vote. The election of Representative Gordon D. Fox as Speaker of the House prevails, on a roll call vote, 54 members voting for Representative Fox and 10 members voting for Representative Watson and 11 members voting for Representative Winfield as FOX- 54: Representatives Ajello, Azzinaro, Bennett, Blazejewski, Brien, Carnevale, Cimini, Coderre, DaSilva, DeSimone, Diaz, Dickinson, Edwards, Fellela, Ferri, Flaherty, Fox, Gallison, Handy, Hearn, Hull, Jackson, Johnston, Keable, Kennedy, Lally, Malik, Marcello, Martin, Mattiello, McCauley, McNamara, Medina, Melo, Messier, Morrison, Naughton, Nunes, O’Grady, O’Neill, Palumbo, Petrarca, Ruggiero, San Bento, Serpa, Silva, Slater, Tanzi, Tarro, Tomasso, Ucci, Valencia, Walsh and Williams. WATSON- 10: Representatives Chippendale, Costa, Ehrhardt, Gordon, Morgan, Newberry, Reilly, Savage, Trillo and Watson. WINFIELD- 11 Representatives Baldelli-Hunt, Corvese, Guthrie, Jacquard, Lima, MacBeth, McLaughlin, Menard, Phillips, Schadone and Winfield. The Chair declares the Honorable Gordon D. Fox is re-elected Speaker of the House for the years 2011-2012. H.J. -- 6 JOURNAL Tuesday, January 4, 2011 APPOINTMENTS The Chair appoints Representative Malik, Representative Ajello, Representative Diaz, Representative Fellela, Representative Ferri, Representative Handy, Representative Kennedy, Representative McCauley, Representative McNamara, Representative Melo, Representative Petrarca, Representative San Bento, Representative Walsh, Representative Watson and Representative Williams as a committee to escort the Speaker-elect, and Marcus LaFond to the rostrum. The Chair appoints Representative Brien , Representative Carnevale, Representative DeSimone, Representative Flaherty, Representative Gallison, Representative Marcello, Representative Newberry, Representative Palumbo, Representative Ruggiero, and Representative Ucci as a committee to escort the Honorable Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell, of the Rhode Island Supreme Court to the rostrum. OATH OF OFFICE The House attends while the Honorable Chief Justice administers the Oath of Office to the Honorable Speaker. NOW PRESIDING At 5:28: o'clock P.M. the Honorable J. Russell Jackson turns over the rostrum to the Honorable Speaker Gordon D. Fox. The Honorable Speaker Fox addresses the members of the House. GUESTS At 6:00 o’clock P.M. the Honorable Speaker yields the rostrum to the Honorable Governor Lincoln D. Chafee. By unanimous consent, Governor Chafee addresses the members of the House. At 6:03 o’clock P.M. the Honorable Speaker returns to the rostrum. GOD BLESS AMERICA The Honorable Speaker welcomes back Jacqueline Pina, Class of 2011, Rhode Island College, who will sing “God Bless America.” ELECTION OF THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE The Honorable Speaker declares the election of Clerk is in order and calls