PROVIDENCE (R.I.) – Two bills were passed Tuesday afternoon by the Rhode Island Senate.
The first piece of legislation, sponsored by Senator Picard, will allow for Rhode Islanders to vote to amend the state constitution to “guarantee an equitable, adequate and meaningful education to each child” on the next statewide election.
This would give the General Assembly the responsibility to ensure that the children of the state receive a high standard of education and allow for legal enforcement if they fail to do so.
The state constitution, which is the highest law in a state, is our statement of most precious values. The success of American society is dependent on the availability of quality public education. Senator Picard (Dist. ), stated that every child should have access to decent education opportunities regardless of their zip code or circumstances. 20, Woonsocket, Cumberland).
The second piece of legislation, sponsored Senator Euer, would direct the Division of Statewide Planning (Division of Statewide Planning) to designate population-based environment justice focus areas that would protect these areas from any new proposals that would have adverse environmental impacts.
This bill’s main purpose would be to protect low-income neighborhoods from being the targets of pollution and environmental hazards due to infrastructure and development.
This would require that all development in these areas be done in a way that allows the public to take part in the hearing process. It would also allow DEM or the Coastal Rescource Management Council (CRMC) to deny applications that pose an unreasonable risk to the public’s health or the environment.
Many times, proposals for more pollution-producing infrastructure targets neighborhoods that are already struggling more than they deserve. Chairwoman Euer (D-Dist.) said that it is often the poorest neighborhoods. This partly happens because people with less means don’t want live in these areas and partly because these neighborhoods are often perceived as having less ability for fighting back against environmental hazards. 13, Newport, Jamestown). This is an environmental injustice and the state must take action to stop it. It is unacceptable for a neighborhood to be used as a dump ground for multiple polluting facilities, explosive storage facilities, and hazardous chemicals.
