Blake Filippi drops suit against Speaker’s control over General Assembly | CPT PPP Coverage
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Blake Filippi drops suit against Speaker’s control over General Assembly appeared on www.providencejournal.com by Patrick Anderson.
Former House Republican leader Blake Filippi on Friday ended his three-year legal battle over control of General Assembly hiring, firing and spending decisions.
Filippi, who surprised Smith Hill by not seeking reelection to the House last year, agreed to dismiss the suit against top General Assembly leaders in which he argued the legislature’s operations were being controlled unilaterally — and illegally — by the House speaker and his subordinates.
In a Friday afternoon tweet, Filippi said he dismissed the lawsuit because House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, who took that role a year after the lawsuit was filed, agreed to convene meetings of the obscure entity at the center of the dispute: the Joint Committee on Legislative Services.
“I’m thrilled [House GOP Leader Michael] Chippendale and Speaker Shekarchi have agreed to regular meetings of the JCLS – which was the goal of the lawsuit,” he tweeted. “With their agreement in place, I’m more happy to dismiss my lawsuit, and look forward to the first JCLS meeting in over 10 years.”
With the court fight over, what’s next?
The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is made up of five members — the speaker, House majority leader, House minority leader, Senate president and Senate minority leader — who as a group control day-to-day operations of the General Assembly and its $50-million budget.
In part because House leadership has two members on the committee, the speaker has historically controlled it, and also hires the JCLS director.
But more than a decade ago, top lawmakers stopped holding JCLS meetings, effectively ending public debate over legislative business decisions and consolidating control with the speaker and JCLS director.
After then-House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello ordered a controversial audit of the Rhode Island Convention Center, Filippi sued, arguing that he was being denied his right to participate in the JCLS in a stifling of dissent.
The suit named all the JCLS members, including former Senate Republican leader Dennis Algiere, in their official and personal capacities, and the JCLS director.
Shekarchi said Friday that with the lawsuit over, he will now hold quarterly meetings of the JCLS.
More:Judge breathes new life into GOP lawsuit over General Assembly operations
“I look forward to the commencement of the work of the committee with the common goal of efficient management of the General Assembly on behalf of every Rhode Island taxpayer,” Shekarchi said in a news release.
Chippendale, who succeeded Filippi in helming the small GOP caucus, also welcomed the end of the legal battle.
“As we move forward with transparency in this process, Rhode Islanders can be assured that the day-to-day operations of the General Assembly will be executed responsibly and in a public forum,” Chippendale said in the release.
The Senate has at times chafed at having fewer members on the JCLS than the House, but Senate President Dominick Ruggerio also expressed satisfaction at the lawsuit’s resolution.
“The Senate has long held that the Joint Committee on Legislative Services should meet on a regular basis and vote on matters before us,” he said in the news release.
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