Don't let R.I. Senate President Val Lawson off the hook on assault weapons ban
Instead, the bill is at risk of stalling in the final days of the legislative session because Lawson, a brand new Senate president, doesn't seem to have the courage to stand up to a handful of more conservative senators who helped her land her new leadership post
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The House of Representatives voted 43-28 last week to pass the bill, the first time in state history that either chamber has approved an assault weapons ban.
We're supposed to take politicians at their word – so it's worth pointing out that Lawson isn't just a lukewarm supporter of banning assault weapons. She claims to be enthusiastic about it.
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Just last week, Senate spokesman Greg Pare said Lawson 'strongly supports the assault weapons ban legislation.'
But then came the hammer.
'She will continue working with her colleagues on the Judiciary Committee to try to win its passage,' Pare added.
And that's where Lawson begins hiding in plain sight.
The
It's true that the Judiciary Committee would ordinarily handle legislation related to firearms, and on the House side, the Judiciary Committee was the one that vetted and amended the bill that ultimately won full approval.
But Lawson doesn't have to accept that. She has plenty of options that are all well within the Senate's rules to bring the bill to vote in the full chamber.
She could bypass the committee process altogether, similar to
Could.
Should.
But will she?
You see, Lawson leads a chamber that has been fractured ever since former Senate President Dominick Ruggerio chose to run for his leadership spot again despite battling cancer. He won the office, but died in April.
Lawson was elected Ruggerio's No. 2 late last year, a sign that she would eventually ascend to the presidency. But the process was messy. Some senators harbored lingering animosity over Ruggerio remaining president until his death. Then there was a faction of more conservative Democrats led by Senator
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Lawson wound up winning, but she ended up with Ciccone as her majority leader. Ciccone is a
Related
:
Ciccone ended up as Lawson's No. 2, but he nonetheless seems to be getting what he wants.
Lawson has the chance to show that she's really the one in charge, and pass legislation that
Or she could do nothing, and hope we all forget she had the power to act.
Dan McGowan can be reached at
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