RI economy: Where often is heard a discouraging word

Good Thursday morning!

Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore has long championed the importance of the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed that Americans could fairly access the ballot no matter what their ZIP code, race or ethnicity was. The federal law is foundational to the American democracy we know today.

But the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling Wednesday in Louisiana v. Callais et al. is the latest decision threatening to diminish the protections of this landmark 1965 law, Amore said in a statement. The case challenged the legality of a second majority-Black congressional district that the Louisiana Legislature, with a Republican majority, mapped in 2024 in response to a federal court ruling directing the state to enhance minority voting power based on the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana has six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, but only one favored a Black candidate before 2024 in a state where nearly a third of the population is Black, the Louisiana Illuminator reported. 

Amore Wednesday afternoon again called for passage of the Rhode Island Voting Rights Act (H8334/S3143), which would enshrine into state law the the tools for voters to fight discriminatory voting laws and policies.

“Voters are confident in the security and accessibility of our elections – as they should be,” Amore said. “But attacks like today’s decision are precisely why a Voting Rights Act is needed in our state. The right to vote must be protected and I remain committed to advocating for those protections to be codified into Rhode Island law and fighting on behalf of voters whose voices have historically been silenced.” 

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High tide in Newport is at 7:44 a.m. and 8:03 p.m. Low tide is at 12:56 p.m. Sunset is at 7:41 a.m.

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Gov. Dan McKee flew to Florida Wednesday afternoon to spend time with family and is due back on Friday, May 8. He will remain in regular contact with his team, including meetings on the Route 10 on-ramp project, according to his office.

First quarter campaign finance reports from candidates participating in the September primary or general election are due today to the Rhode Island Board of Elections.

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority Board of Directors meets at 9 a.m.

The House Judiciary Committee meets at around 5 p.m. to hear several bills, including the Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act, which would establish the process to legally allow a terminally ill patient to choose to end their life using medications prescribed by a physician.