Rhode Island House Republicans
  • Home
  • Reports
    • Minority Report >
      • 2022 Minority Report
      • 2020/2021 Minority Report
      • 2019 Minority Report
    • Gaming Contract >
      • Gaming Study Report
    • State of the State >
      • 2020 State of the State
      • 2022 State of the State
  • Representatives
    • Michael W. Chippendale
    • David J. Place
    • Sherry Roberts
    • George A. Nardone
    • Robert Quattrocchi
    • Brian C. Newberry
    • Brian J. Rea
  • Legislation
    • House Seating Chart
    • Commissions/Task Forces
    • Legislative Committee Membership
    • Legislative Dates and Deadlines
  • News & Media
  • Contact Us
    • Representatives
    • Media Contact
    • Caucus Staff
    • Interns
The Latest News and Media From the
Rhode Island House of Representatives Republican Caucus

MORGAN FILES COMPLAINT IN SUPERIOR COURT SEEKING WAIVER OF $3770 RETRIEVAL FEES FOR GOOGLE DOCUMENTS, REMAINING FUNDS WOULD PROVIDE EVERY SCHOOL WITH $75,000 FOR SECURITY UPGRADES

5/7/2018

Comments

 
Printer Friendly View
​Providence, RI - On Monday, May 7 at 12:00 PM, RI House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan will submit a complaint to the Kent County Superior Court. The complaint asks for the Court to grant relief from the $3,770 fee that Attorney General is demanding to produce documents related to the spending of the Google Settlement Funds.
Picture
Rhode Island State House
Picture
Leader Morgan entered an APRA request for these documents on March 1, 2018.  The APRA submission followed a comment from the Attorney General’s office dismissing her request that he convene a panel of law enforcement and safety experts to guide our schools' efforts in spending the remaining Google settlement funds on security upgrades to protect our children.  Leader Morgan is seeking the release of the remaining $23 million in Google settlement money to fund the purchase of the security upgrades.  The remaining money would give each school in Rhode Island approximately $75,000 for the features they decide will be the most effective in keeping their students and faculty safe.

Already, the Town of Portsmouth has passed a resolution urging Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin to distribute Google Funds to the Portsmouth School Committee. 

“The Attorney General is stonewalling my request by making it prohibitively expensive. I appealed his decision on March 28, based on R.I.G.L. 22-6-12 which gives free access to public documents to members of the House Committee of Finance. Unfortunately, he denied the appeal. 

“As a member of the General Assembly, the House Minority Leader and a member of the House Oversight and Finance Committees, I am entitled to the documents free of charge.  Production of the documents is critical to public understanding of state government operations and activities and in this case, relevant to our desire to further the goal of increasing school security for our children.

“The Parkland Shooting makes it even more important to use proven strategies to strengthen the security measures of our schools.  The Google funds were already used in North Providence to purchase security technology.  All our schools can benefit from similar upgrades,” she continued. “I am asking the Court to waive the exorbitant fees that the Attorney General is demanding for retrieval of these documents. I find it troubling that he is using this maneuver to conceal the details of the spending of this large pool of money. There should be a public examination and assessment of the uses for which it has been spent.  I want to know what he has considered more important than our students, teachers and school staff. This information will contribute greatly to the public’s understanding,” stated Leader Morgan.

“I fear the Attorney General is using this costly maneuver to stop further efforts to obtain the information. I do not have a budget for these fees. And because of cost, I will be representing myself in Superior Court for this complaint.  I hope the Superior Court will hear my complaint and grant me relief.”

R.I.G.L. 38-2-4 (e) relating to Public Records states: A court may reduce or waive the fees for costs charged for search or retrieval if it determines that the information requested is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester.

​Additional Documents: 
  • Google Settlement Complaint
Comments

    nEWS & Media


    All News
    News Releases
    Member Opinions
    Infographics
    Video Updates
    Podcasts

    stAY CONNECTED


    Sign up below to receive the latest News & Media from the Rhode Island House Republican Caucus sent directly to your inbox. 
    * indicates required



    ​FIND NEWS BY


    ​Member




    ​subject




    ​​MONTH




    YeaR




    TWITTER


    Picture

    ​SOCIAL MEDIA


    Facebook
    Twitter
    YouTube
    Instagram
    RSS Feed: News & Media

About rhode island house republicans


In 1636, Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, established the first working model of Democracy after being banished from Massachusetts for his “extreme views” concerning freedom of speech and religion. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams publicly acknowledged Williams as the originator of these concepts, along with the freedom of public assembly, in the First Amendment in the United States Constitution. Today, Rhode Island House Republicans uphold the liberties designed by our Founders and preserved in our Constitution, and are the primary legislative body promoting lean government, fighting for lower taxes, and advocating for initiatives and policies that improve the economy and in turn, the lives of Rhode Islanders.  As members of a part-time assembly, we are small business owners, retired educators, community activists, lawyers, farmers, military service veterans, volunteers, former local officials, retired social workers, coaches, musicians, churchgoers and board directors -- bringing these community engagement and professional experiences to our work, on your behalf, at the Rhode Island State House.

​2023 Rhode Island State House Republicans | 82 Smith Street, Room 106 Providence, RI 02903 | 401..222..2259 | Email Us
  • Home
  • Reports
    • Minority Report >
      • 2022 Minority Report
      • 2020/2021 Minority Report
      • 2019 Minority Report
    • Gaming Contract >
      • Gaming Study Report
    • State of the State >
      • 2020 State of the State
      • 2022 State of the State
  • Representatives
    • Michael W. Chippendale
    • David J. Place
    • Sherry Roberts
    • George A. Nardone
    • Robert Quattrocchi
    • Brian C. Newberry
    • Brian J. Rea
  • Legislation
    • House Seating Chart
    • Commissions/Task Forces
    • Legislative Committee Membership
    • Legislative Dates and Deadlines
  • News & Media
  • Contact Us
    • Representatives
    • Media Contact
    • Caucus Staff
    • Interns