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David Bates, Rhode Island Senator
David E. Bates (b. April 21, 1941) is a former Republican member of the Rhode Island State Senate, representing District 32 from 1992 to January 6, 2015. While in office, Bates served as Senate Minority Whip. Bates did not seek re-election in 2014.
Bates was a member of the Barrington Planning Board from 1968 to 1978. He was a member of the Barrington Town Council from 1982 to 1992. He was then President of the Barrington Town Council from 1984 to 1988.
Biography
Bates earned his B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1963. His professional experience includes working as a claims adjuster for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company from 1963 to 1974, as a supervisor for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company from 1970 to 1974, as a Marketing Representatives for Reliance Insurance Company from 1974 to 1978 and as President of A. N. Nunes Insurance Agency since 1978.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Bates served on the following committees:
| Rhode Island committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Special Legislation & Veterans' Affairs, Secretary |
| • Commerce |
| • Environment & Agriculture |
| • Finance |
| • Rules |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Bates served on the following committees:
| Rhode Island committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Corporations |
| • Finance |
| • Rules |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Bates served on the following committees:
| Rhode Island committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Constitutional and Regulatory Issues |
| • Corporations |
| • Finance |
| • Labor |
| • Rules |
Elections
2012
Bates won re-election in District 32. He was unopposed in both the Republican primary on September 11 and the general election on November 6.[2][3][4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  David Bates Incumbent |
97.2% | 9,926 | |
| Other | Write-in | 2.8% | 291 | |
| Total Votes | 10,217 | |||
2010
Bates was re-elected to District 32 in 2010. Bates defeated Democrat Jim Hasenfus in the November 2 general election. He was unopposed in the September 14 Republican primary.[5][6]
| Rhode Island State Senate, District 32 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| David Bates (R)
|
5930 | |||
| Jim Hasenfus (D) | 5127 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Bates was re-elected to the 32nd District Seat in the Rhode Island State Senate.[7] Bates raised $22,184 for his campaign, while Signore raised $3,000.[8]
| Rhode Island State Senate, District 32 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| David Bates (R)
|
6,989 | |||
| Lawrence Signore (D) | 6,647 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Rhode Island scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 7 to June 23.
- American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island: 2013-2014 Voting Record
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to civil liberties.
- Environment Council of Rhode Island: 2013-2014 Green Report Card
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business in Rhode Island: 2013-2014 Voting Record
- Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity: 2014 session freedom index
- Legislators are scored by the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity on their votes "affecting free-market, small-government, or constitutional principles."[9]
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2013, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 1 to July 5.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 3 to June 13.
|
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2011, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 4 to July 1.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bates and his wife, Anne, have two children.[1]
Noteworthy events
Grants to nonprofit organizations
In 2012, Rhode Island lawmakers issued $1.9 million in legislative grants to nonprofit organizations. These grants were awarded on a nonpartisan basis by House Speaker Gordon Fox and Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed and were chosen based on the merits of the organizations' applications and requests by individual lawmakers. Though the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that the legislature has the authority to create grants as part of the budget, some critics called these grants wasteful government spending and said the money could be used to influence votes. Lawmakers in support of the grants claimed that they went to community organizations that were struggling to fill fundraising gaps or make up for a lack of resources that may no longer be available at the municipal level. According to an August 2013 report in Go Local Prov News, Bates was among the top 25 lawmakers who sponsored the most in grant funding, obtaining $34,000 for community organizations.[10][11]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google News search for the term "David + Bates + Rhode + Island + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Rhode Island State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Rhode Island General Assembly
- Joint Committees
- Rhode Island state legislative districts
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996, 1994
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Project Vote Smart, "Biography of Sen. David Bates," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ Candidates in Upcoming Elections, "Rhode Island Secretary of State," accessed July 5, 2012
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2012 Statewide Primary Results," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2012 Statewide General Election Results," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2010 Statewide Primary Results," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2010 Statewide General Election Results," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2008 Statewide General Election Results," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Rhode Island State Senate spending, 2008," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Warwick Online, "Rep. Morgan scores top on 'subjective' House Freedom Index," May 31, 2016
- ↑ Go Local Prov News, "RI Lawmakers Shell Out $1.9M in Controversial Legislative Grants," August 15, 2013
- ↑ Go Local Prov News, "Top 25 RI Legislators Who Got The Most Grants," August 15, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Rhode Island State Senate District 32 1993–January 6, 2015 |
Succeeded by Cynthia Armour Coyne (D) |
