Tagged: senate

Governor Lincoln Chafee’s choice to lead the state Economic Development Corporation appears on a fast-track to approval, following his unanimous approval Tuesday by a state Senate committee.  Marcel Valois is calling for more support for small innovators and entrepreneurs.

Valois says Rhode Island’s business climate doesn’t have to remain the butt of bad ratings in national surveys. Invoking the state motto of “hope,” he says Rhode Island can prosper by bringing a sharper focus and new approach to economic development.

The state Republican chairman says the GOP plans to field a candidate when Senator Jack Reed seeks re-election next year.  A fundraiser on Monday, featuring Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, helped pour even more money into Reed’s campaign war chest.

Reed is considered to have one of the safest seats in the US Senate, and he’s sitting on a war chest of about $2 million. Reed, a Democrat, plans to seek his fourth term next year.

(PROVIDENCE, RI) State Sen. Josh Miller has been named chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The senator representing Cranston and Providence is anticipating a full agenda for health-related legislation.

Josh Miller takes the helm of the health and human services committee from former chairwoman Rhoda Perry, who didn’t run for reelection. As the new chair, Miller will wield influence over the senate’s health legislation agenda. He says he hopes to consider, in particular, legislation to address disparities in hospital payments.