Fighting Institutional Violence
Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:10:56 +0000
This article was written by Geoff Schoos, President and Founder of RICLAPP.  It appeared on August 19, 2010 in his column in the Cranston Herald. Open Letter to William J. Clegg III, Elizabeth Dennigan, Michael J. Gardiner, Ernest A. Greco, James R. Langevin, Donald F. Robbio, and Mark S. Zaccaria. Two weeks ago, I wrote a column [...]

Do Not Get Fooled Again
Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:35:29 +0000
This article was written by Geoff Schoos, President and Founder of RICLAPP.  It appeared on July 29, 2010 in his column in the Cranston Herald. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” - Won’t Get Fooled Again by The Who.   For those of us who like geezer rock (and let’s be honest: who doesn’t?) [...]

Federal Judge Rules California Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:58:17 +0000
This post was researched and written by Karen Taylor, Volunteer Paralegal  On August 4, 2010, Chief U.S District Judge Vaughn Walker issued a ruling in federal court that California’s Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.  Proposition 8 is the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.  The case is expected to be appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of [...]

RICLAPP is continuously working to better the lives of individuals and families though its legal representation and counsel, as well as through more endemic long-range policy changes that will benefit all Rhode Islanders. From time to time, working independently or in collaboration with other entities, the Center conducts research, publishes results to educate the public and legislature. At all times, the Center conducts these efforts in an unbiased, non-partisan manner, keeping its focus at all times on the issue at hand.

Our Latest Policy Initiative:

Economic Recovery Research Initiative 2010

On February 1, 2010, RICLAPP began working with six students at Brown University to research and create practical solutions to aid the state's most distressed areas. Focusing on enterprise zones in Cranston, Providence, Woonsocket, and West Warwick, as well as low-income areas in Warwick. Please check back for progress updates as we work on this project during the students' spring semester.

Researchers:

Kayleigh Rogers-Torres          Lise Rahdert

Todd Zubatkin                     Shinjini Chatterjee

Michelle Un                          Mathew Eapen

Progress Update:

For the last month, beginning on February 1st, we broke the students up into two groups. Group one investigated the characteristics of the workforce in our focus communities in order to identify the abilities and limitations of the available workers. Group two investigated the overall landscape of the enterprise zones by researching the history of business creation, which included what businesses exist there, how does a business owner acquire proper licensing, certifications, etc., and agencies that assist new businesses specifically in those areas.

In the coming weeks, the two groups will combine as we move the project foward. Check back for more updates and reports!

Phase One Reports:

Group One: Workforce Identification                    Group Two: Enterprise Zone Landscape

Previous Initiatives:

***Over the summer in 2009 we had our interns research the following issues:

- Prisoner Re-entry Reform

- Economic Recovery/New Small Business Creation

- Addiction Recovery

- Election Reform

***Fall 2008 - Legislative Candidates Survey- Addiction Recovery/Re-entry Programs

During September 2008, RICLAPP sought to discover where our General Assembly candidates stand on the issues surrounding addiction recovery and re-entry programs. We were happy to receive valuable feedback and insight from these candidates. Below you will be able to view the results.

Click Here to View the Survey and Letter Sent out to the Legislative Candidates:

RICLAPP Legislative Survey

Survey Letter

Results:

Click here to view an analysis of the survey written by Geoffrey Schoos, President of RICLAPP.

RICLAPP Survey Analysis

Click Here to View the Total Response Breakdown

Total Response

Click Here to View the Response from Incumbent Senators

Incumbent Senator Response

Click Here to View the Response from Non-Incumbent Senators

Non-Incumbent Senator Response

Click Here to View the Response from Incumbent House Representatives

Incumbent House Response

Click Here to View the Response from Non-Incumbent House Representatives

Non-Incumbent House Response