Church and State RI

In February of 2021, Jessica offered the State of the State response and outlined five priorities for Republican lawmakers. In this week's episode, she updates us on the progress of those priorities.

It’s not ALL bad. RI is doing very well and leading the country in some metrics. Which ones? We’ll look at that in today’s episode of Church and State.

What is Critical Race Theory? Where did it come from and is it going away anytime soon? Today, David contrasts it with Christianity and Jessica answers whether or not it’s in the RI State House.

A lot of controversy has been swirling around RI’s Zambarano Hospital and the Eleanor Slater Hospital System.  This week, Jessica gives us an update on what’s happening at the hospital, the shakeup in leadership, and summarizes a recent report on the hospital.

Do women in Rhode Island receive equal pay for equal work? What does the law that was passed by the RI General Assembly mean for women, employers, and employees? Today, we discuss the Equal Pay Act for RI.

In episode 22, David and Jessica celebrate Jessica passing her first bill into state law. What is the bill, and what does it do for supporters of the Second Amendment? We'll walk you through it in today's episode of Church and State.

In Episode 21, we summarize some of the big news that hit Rhode Island this week: a gas tax that is one step closer to being passed, how Critical Race Theory in RI made national headlines this week, and an update regarding Zambarano Hospital.

Episode 20: Is Rhode Island about to allow for electronic voting? Today, David and Jessica discuss a recent bill that passed the RI House that would allow for electronic voting for some voters. We weigh the concerns over voter suppression and voter integrity as well.

This week's episode explorers Rhode Island's myths and misconceptions regarding guns and gun control.

This week’s episode updates Rhode Islanders on the new leader nominated to lead Zambarano Hospital.  Senator de la Cruz also explains the new energy mandates that have come out of the Senate and what it may mean for the cost of heating and electricity.

Jessica explains the unprecedentedl 20 year, no-bid contact that will cost the state tens of millions of dollars.

In this episode, we celebrate our 20 years of marriage and share what we've learned along the way.

In today’s episode we discuss the difference between a republic and a democracy and show you how to find out who all of your elected officials are. Link to RI's voter information portal: https://vote.sos.ri.gov/Home/PollingPlaces? ActiveFlag=3

This week we discuss the state of taxes in Rhode Island. Jessica summarizes several bills that were heard in a recent Senate Finance Committee. Some of these bills would raise income taxes throughout the state, impose a beverage tax on sugary drinks, while others would lower the minimum corporation tax or cut taxes for those on unemployment.

This week we discuss the state of abortion and the pro-life movement in RI. Jessica summarizes several bills that were heard in a recent Senate Judiciary Committee including two bills that she sponsored that are not just moral but science and medically based. Visit ChurchandStateRI.com

In this episode we discuss our experiences as the children of immigrants.  We discussed what drew our parents to America, how they  adapted to American culture, and what they held onto from their homelands. 

Episode #11: "How to Fight Fair" Believe it or not, we had FUN with this one. 🥊 Conflict will come, but can you win the fight without losing the people you care about?

In episode 10, Jessica talks about submitting her firearm legislation and writing her first op-ed. To read the op-ed, visit our website, www. ChurchandStateRI.com.

How does our state government work? How does a bill become a law?  In this week's episode, Jessica introduces you to RI's General Assembly from inside perspective of our legislative branch.

Parenting can be tough but it gets easier when you know what to expect. In this episode we share what we've learned about the different stages of parenting. Don't worry...they won't be in diapers forever.

Today, he's a hero to Rhode Islanders, but during his time, some considered him a heretic with dangerous ideas. This episode introduces you to our favorite Rhode Islander, Roger Williams. You can find the show notes and suggested books about Roger Williams at churchandstateri.com 

In this episode we share with you our favorite book on marriage, The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman.  It was required reading when we married and we continue to recommend it to other couples.  To discover your love language, take the 5 Love Languages test at https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/ 

In this episode, David answers the question, "Should Christians get political?" David and Jessica provide the five areas or levels that you can get involved in the political process.

Jessica had the honor of giving the State of the State Response for 2021. This episode highlights the challenges facing RI and some of the solutions offered by Jessica and her colleagues.

We've spent a lot of time working with people and have found these principles so helpful.  We see them patterned in the lives of people that we look up to for their healthy marriages, strong friendships, and solid professional relationships.  This list isn't exhaustive and maybe we'll share our "Five More Rules for Relationships" in a future episode.