General Assembly Passes Child Endangerment Bill
"The General Assembly passed legislation (2022-H 7807, 2022-S 2808) introduced by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett) and Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis (D-Dist. 33, Coventry, East Greenwich, West Greenwich) that would establish felony penalties for guardians convicted of child endangerment. The bill would establish criminal penalties for a wanton or reckless act or omission of a parent, guardian or any other person who has custody or control of a child, where those acts or omissions result in substantial risk of serious bodily injury to the child or sexual abuse of a child in their care. The legislation now heads to the governor’s office for consideration." Read the Full News Release at General Assemble News.

Bill Passed (S 2181 Sub A) to Protect Johnson's Pond in Coventry Heading to Governor's Desk:
"The bill requires dam owners across Rhode Island to get permission to raise or lower water levels, or face a $60,000 fine per day." Read All About It by Jimmy Bentley (Patch Staff Reporter) and View the Live Video on Capital TV.

COVENTRY, RI – WPRI Local News: The ongoing dispute between the owners of a Coventry pond and the residents who live around it has made its way to the R.I. State House. Johnson’s Pond has been a point of contention for residents since it was purchased by Soscia Holdings, LLC - last year… In an effort to intervene, Senator Lou Raptakis introduced a bill that would give the town control of the water levels.

Raptakis said Soscia Holdings is “taking drastic actions to manipulate water levels as a means of punishing residents who dare to complain about the company’s actions.”

“They’ve sought to limit residents’ access to the area by putting up gates, called the police to try to stop people from enjoying the pond, filed frivolous suits and even threatened to turn the pond into a solar panel farm,” Raptakis said. “There’s not a wetlands area this company wouldn’t trash if it meant putting money in their pockets.” Read the full article posted by: Sarah Doiron and Anita Baffoni - Click/Tap Here

COVENTRY, RI (WJAR) ...State Senator Lou Raptakis, has suggested- "The General Assembly could be helpful in solving a growing rift between the pond's new owners and the town. ...People use the pond for fishing, boating, recreation, it's part of Coventry. To have some developer come there and try to use this as a money grab is absolutely unacceptable." Read the full, original, article at 10WJAR.

SEPT. 11, 2020 – COVENTRY, RI – "Coventry State Senator Leonidas Raptakis is again calling for schools to have the option to have a moment of silence to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. On the 19th anniversary on Friday, Raptakis announced his plans to reintroduce the legislation in the upcoming legislation session. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the legislation, introduced last year, did not come to a vote during this session. The new legislative session is set to begin in January.

After the New York law was brought to my attention, I thought this policy would also be useful in Rhode Island’s classrooms," Raptakis explained. "September 11th was one of the most seminal events in our country’s history and as each anniversary of the event goes by, it’s important that we impress the significance of the attack on our students to not only memorialize all that were lost and sacrificed during the attacks, but also to help engage in conversations with students about the impact and history of that terrible day." Read more of Rachel Nunes' Patch story - click/tap here.

Getting Out the Vote for Election 2020

RI State Senator Lou Raptakis (District 33, Coventry, E Greenwich, & W Greenwich) joined ABC's "In the Arena" Paolino Properties - Joe Paolino in discussing legislative efforts to raise awareness about:

• Impacts to small businesses regarding the raise of the minimum wage
  
• Lou's efforts to increase penalties for driving under the influence, and
• The national politics climate