Common Cause Urges State Senate to Finish Work

In the Thursday, October 28th edition of the Providence Journal Common Cause takes the position that the Rhode Island State Senate should return to provide advice and consent for outstanding appointments. Common Cause would like to further clarify our comments. We believe that the Governor and the State Senate should fulfill their constitutionally mandated roles in appointments. In particular, we have held since the passage of the Separation of Power amendments in 2004 that the Governor can immediately make appointments to replace all vacancies on boards and commissions in Rhode Island. That belief was reinforced by the December 2008 Advisory Opinion of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in the CRMC case. Likewise, as long-time supporters of the 1994 constitutional reforms creating the Judicial Nominating Commission we have held that the Governor should abide by the law requiring him to make appointments within the 21 day time frame mandated in the statute. We have also long held that the State Senate should abide by its statutory requirement to provide advice and consent for those appointments too.