Two Rhode Island House Republicans say Attorney General Peter Neronha’s move to steer $10 million in settlement funds for improving dental health for poor Providence children is against the law.
Neronha announced the plan last month as part of construction firm Barletta Heavy Division’s agreement to settle a case involving the unlawful dumping of contaminated fill during construction of the Route 6/10 interchange in Providence.
While the state settled the case for $11 million, Neronha’s office said $10 million would go to the Attorney General’s 6/10 Children’s Fund, to be administered by the Rhode Island Foundation. In explaining the choice, he cited a 2024 Providence Journal story about how more than 500 children in Providence need urgent medical care
State Rep. Brian C. Newberry (R-North Smithfield) and Rep. George Nardone (R-Coventry), however, say Neronha doesn’t have the legal authority to decide how the money is used.
State law “explicitly mandates that the proceeds of any monetary settlements entered into by the attorney general on behalf of the state be paid into the general fund, which is controlled by the General Assembly,” the House GOP said in a statement Monday, “but Neronha ignored that mandate last month when he settled the 6/10 connector contaminated soil case with the general contractor Barletta.”
Newberry said Neronha “seems to be confusing the power he has to decide whether to pursue and/or settle civil legal cases as the chief law enforcement officer representing the state in court with the power to decide how to actually use any money recovered. Those are two very different things.”
The Republicans say they plan to use a floor amendment during the House of Representatives’ budget debate on Tuesday to redirect $1 million in settlement money to 11 different organizations, including the Rhode Island Dental Association, to promote better oral health for needy Providence children.
Neronha says the GOP is wrong in its understanding of the issue.
He said the two state representatives identified in the GOP release “remained silent and have done nothing,” following reporting about the dire state of children’s dental care in Providence.
“I like to think that my record speaks for itself,” Neronha said in a statement. “I have spent my career in federal and state public service fighting for Rhode Islanders and standing up for them against powerful interests. And if a small portion of that work results in $10 million that can help end suffering in a largely forgotten and vulnerable part of our community, I stand by that decision.”
Neronha said the bottom line is that “directing funds from the resolution of a criminal case brought by this office and authorized by a court to solve severe and unmet oral health challenges for Providence children is well within the authority of my Office. We are prepared to defend attempts to argue otherwise.”
