Court nixes appeal on grant program, Watson calls it "favor factory"

Posted: 5/23/2012 10:29:40 AM

The State Supreme Court rejected Representative Robert Watson’s (R, East Greenwich) challenge to the Rhode Island legislative grants program.

“We just took on the speaker, the legislative process, the legislative grant program that has been nothing but a slush fund for legislative leaders. It is millions of dollars of money that are given away. It is a program controlled by very few people,”  Watson told the WPRO Morning News with Tara Granahan and Andrew Gobeil.

The court held that Representative Watson has no standing in challenging the legislative grant program. “While I am not surprise that the court told not to take up the matter, I am very disappointed. I do believe there was away they could make a decision on the merits unfortunately they ruled on a technicality,” said Watson.

Watson said the money given to the embattled Institute of International Sport is an example of how legislative grant money is being spent and wasted.  He said “there is no real oversight, no parameters, just politics involved.”

Watson said the money should be distributed more fairly instead of being a “favor factory.” He said he feels that it is wrong. Watson said “If there is a reason to give public money to a private entity put it as a line item in the budget.”

Watson said he will now appeal the decision to “the court of public opinion,” stating that the public is tired of wasting public money.

“Someday, somehow I do hope we will be able to solve it,” said Watson. He said perhaps with enough public pressure the General Assembly would be willing to reform the program themselves.