The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted 8 to 1 in favor of the bills to finance a new Pawtucket Red Sox stadium, but the legislation still faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives.
Before voting, the committee heard strong union support and some strong opposition from a few members of the public, including Steven Frias, the state Republican National Committeeman who came within 85 vote of beating house Speaker Nicholas Mattiello in his home district in Cranston in the last election.
Senate Finance Chairman William J. Conley Jr. said he's confident the bill will pass the full Senate when they vote Tuesday on the matter, but said he has no control over what happens in the House — nor what happens within the Senate.
Yet Mattiello has not committed to a vote on the bill. He was not immediately available for an interview Tuesday evening. His spokesman, Larry Berman, said if the bill passes the full Senate, Mattiello will assign it to the House Finance Committee for a hearing.
Whether the House committee votes, though, and sends the bill to the House floor, would be a decision that both Mattiello and House Finance Committee Chairman Marvin Abney would make together, Berman said.
more to come...