ABORTION BILL BRINGS OUT EMOTIONS

PROVIDENCE -- Batterers under restraining orders could lose their
guns, the very sick could use marijuana, and women seeking abortions
may have to wait 24 hours before undergoing the procedure.

These were some of the biggest issues of the late afternoon session
of the full Senate yesterday, and so far, two of the big three are
headed for the desk of Governor Carcieri.

The third, on abortion, under the bill called "Women's Right to
Know," will go to the House, where it appears to have a shaky future.

That measure drew the most passionate arguments during an otherwise
staid session of voting on 48 bills. The unusually heated debate
caused Sen. Charles Levesque, D-Portsmouth, who opposed the bill, to
appeal for peace on the floor.

A multitude of amendments from opponents failed. The final bill
passed, 27 to 9.

Under the bill, women seeking abortions would be required to wait 24
hours and be informed by their physicians about medical risks and the
gestational age of the fetus, and given access to printed materials
and a state-sponsored Internet site listing agencies offering
alternatives to abortion. Violation of the act would be a felony, and
the father and grandparents of the unborn child could file a civil suit.

Levesque said the legislation was putting the government somewhere it
didn't belong -- in the medical examining room with a woman and her doctor.

"We do not have the right to be in that room," Levesque said.

Sen. Rhoda E. Perry, D-Providence, also argued vehemently against the bill.

"I believe this is another attempt to restrict women's access to safe
and legal abortions, and compromises her privacy," Perry said. "This
measure is a ruse. It is not benign. It is not about protecting a
woman's right to know."

Several who favored the bill raised the issue of morality.

Sen. Harold M. Metts, D-Providence, talked about having his pocket
Bible with him during the debate in committee over the bill and
thinking, "Is God pleased?"

Metts, a Baptist deacon, said, "There needs to be some spiritual
consideration in government."

Sen. Leo R. Blais, R-Coventry, said the bill's opponents were
actually more afraid that the measure would send a message nationally
to overturn Roe v. Wade. "The issue goes beyond religion and party
lines," he said. "It goes to moral character."

Added the sponsor, West Warwick Democrat Stephen D. Alves: "Maybe
it's our job to inject a little morality into our society."

Sending another message, the Senate voted, 33 to 1, to approve
medical marijuana for people suffering from serious illnesses. Sen.
Marc A. Cote, D-Woonsocket, voted against the bill.

The measure would protect doctors, pharmacists and caregivers from
arrest and prosecution under state drug laws if a doctor who is
certified by the state Department of Health determines that their
patients may be helped by marijuana. These patients would also
receive registration cards allowing them or their caregivers to have
up to 12 plants or 2.5 ounces of marijuana -- stored indoors.
Caregivers with felony convictions would be barred from the program.

The Health Department would be required to report to the legislature
by Jan. 1, 2007, on the program. The program would expire on June 30,
2007, unless lawmakers voted to continue it.

Carcieri has indicated he may veto the bill, saying it would force
state officials to knowingly violate federal law.

Another bill headed to the governor's desk would allow judges to
force batterers under restraining orders to relinquish all their
firearms to the police, a gun dealer or a friend. Police officers or
active military personnel could keep their service weapons while on
duty, but would have to relinquish them while off duty.

The Senate voted -- 33 to 1 on its own version, and 30 to 1 on the
House version -- to approve the measures. Sen. Walter S. Felag Jr.,
D-Warren, opposed both versions.

"Today marks a major victory for victims of domestic violence, who
can now hopefully lead their lives with a little more peace of mind,"
the bill's sponsor, Sen. Maryellen Goodwin, D-Providence, said in a
statement afterward.

Meanwhile, voters will decide in November 2006 whether to give the
right to vote to convicted felons serving probation and parole. The
Senate approved its bill, 27 to 8. The proposal would change a
provision in the state Constitution that bars felons from voting
until the end of their sentences.

Supporters say that would make a difference to thousands of Rhode
Islanders. The measure would affect those released from prison.

Meanwhile, both the House and the Senate simultaneously and
unanimously approved each other's versions of legislation that would
allow golf courses to sell alcohol from carts on the course.

In its marathon session yesterday, the House passed 46 other pieces
of legislation, including bills that would:

Prohibit any town or city charter from requiring police officers or
firefighters to live within the community. The bill was being pushed
by firefighters and police officers in Providence. The House held
onto the bill and may amend it today to extend it to all municipal workers.

Rep. Edith H. Ajello, D-Providence, opposed the city's residency
requirement, but said the unions should work to change the charter,
not the law.

Allow dental hygienists to inject patients with anesthesias.

Force any private contractor with a contract of $100,000 or more to
file with the state a copy of each executed subcontract as well as
audited financial statements. As part of its budget request, every
state agency would have to list details of every private contract and
past and projected costs. The list would include the number of
private employees associated with the contract and their hourly wages.

The so-called "Government Oversight and Fiscal Accountability Review
Act," was vetoed by Governor Carcieri last year.

Rep. Carol A. Mumford, R-Scituate, said the bill was "inherently
aimed against privatization."

House Speaker Pro Tempore Charlene M. Lima, D-Cranston, however, said
that when spending taxpayer dollars, "you should not do it willy-nilly."

The measure passed 59 to 14.

Increase the fees that check-cashing businesses can charge customers
and the amount of money they can lend in short-term loans, called
deferred deposits or "payday loans."

Rep. Anastasia P. Williams, D-Providence, said the bill would hurt
the state's poorest residents.

"Individuals who can least afford it," she said, "are going to find
themselves in a jam."

The bill passed 43 to 24.

Allow the organizers of charity bingo games to increase their total
nightly jackpots from $6,050 to $7,500.