Projo Politics Blog

Representative, or shall we say Sen. Roger A. Picard, may be about to make history in the General Assembly.

After handily winning last week’s special election to fill the District 20 (Cumberland and Woonsocket) seat of Sen. Roger R. Badeau, who died this year, the longtime representative is getting ready to head across the hall to his new chair in the Senate chamber.

But Picard is not scheduled to make the switch until sometime this week. On Friday, he joined his House colleagues in voting to pass the mid-year budget revision known as “the supplemental budget.”

When the proposal appears in the Senate, Picard is expected to join his fellow senators in casting his second vote.

Astute Assembly observers tell Political Scene that may be the first time a legislator has twice voted on the same budget. Over the years, lawmakers have moved from one chamber to the other, but typically not during the hectic final months of the session.

Speaking with Political Scene last week, Picard said he hasn’t yet focused on that distinction. After 16 years in the House, he’s a little nostalgic about his departure from the House.

“Will I miss them, absolutely I will,” he said. “However, on the other side there’s also the excitement of new colleagues –– not brand new because I know them and I’ve worked with them on various bills and committees so I kind of look forward to that.”

Election laws dictate that because Picard’s District 51 House seat was vacated in an election year after the first week in February, it shall remain empty until the November election.

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