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October 3, 2007

Caprio to discuss Sudan divestment in Washington

The state's general treasurer is scheduled to testify this morning in Washington, D.C., about Rhode Island's efforts to divest public pension funds from companies that do business with Sudan.

Frank Caprio was the only state treasurer invited to testify in front of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which Sen. Jack Reed sits on.

A measure was passed this summer requiring pension funds be divested from companies doing business in the large, central African country, where, for years, government backed militias have targeted and killed non-Arabs, burning towns and forcing millions to flee.

More than 400,000 people are thought to have been killed since 2004 and nearly 3 million displaced, mostly from the southern region of the country.

A divestment measure died before making it to the floor of either chamber last year, when Paul J. Tavares, the state general treasurer at the time, expressed reservations about it.

But this year, Caprio supported the bill and, in fact, requested that it be introduced. He is scheduled to address the committee at 9:30 a.m.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 7:02 AM | Permalink

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Shawn | October 3, 2007 9:07 AM link

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