Three years after the death of Chinese immigrant Hiu Lui Ng at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, a bill is making its way through Congress that would require the reporting of prison deaths. From the Los Angeles Times:

Legislation that would make it more difficult to cover up the causes of deaths in jails, prisons and private detention centers appears poised to pass Congress after years of unreported abuse, particularly in facilities housing immigration detainees.

It's official: Congressman David Cicilline has landed posts on the House Small Business and Foreign Affairs committees. These were not his top choices. Early on, he voiced interest in succeeding departing Representative Patrick Kennedy on the powerful Appropriations Committee. That was always a long shot for a freshman and when it became clear that it was not to be, he set his sights on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Congressman-elect David Cicilline sends word that he will be attending Harvard University's prestigious Congressional Issues Conference for freshmen members of Congress. Well, he won't find many of his new GOP colleagues on hand. From my colleague David Bernstein up at the Boston Phoenix:

For most organizations, getting 26 members of Congress to show up at a soiree would be an impressive feat.

It's a long shot. But a new federal lawsuit seeking a major restructuring of the US House of Representatives claims Rhode Island, among other states, has disproportionate power in Congress. From the Associated Press:

JACKSON, Miss. A federal lawsuit that seeks to double or even quadruple the size of the U.S. House argues that citizens in Mississippi and four other states don't have enough representatives while Wyoming, Rhode Island and a few others get too many.

Political insiders say Cumberland Mayor Daniel J. McKee is still seriously weighing a run for Congress. And with other potential candidates for Patrick Kennedy's seat falling by the wayside in recent days - former Congressman Bob Weygand, State Representative Ed Pacheco, and investment banker Nick Pell - his potential candidacy becomes all the more intriguing.

Drinking Liberally, the lefty drinking club, will be hosting Congressional candidate Bill Lynch at the Wild Colonial bar Wednesday nigt at 8 p.m. The event is free. Should provide an early glimpse of Lynch on the stump - and an early test of his appeal to the party's progressive wing.

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, also in the race to succeed Patrick Kennedy, should have a natural purchase on this constituency given his history as a liberal legislator and broader progressive image.

Gail Collins, perhaps the most amusing columnist in America, has an op-ed in the New York Times today that notes a workshop at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington titled "When All Else Fails: Nullification and State Resistance to Federal Tyranny."

How many of you out there thought we had settled the question of whether states have the right to nullify federal laws during the Lincoln administration? Can I see a show of hands?

My look at the wide-ranging fallout from Representative Patrick Kennedy's decision to stand down at the end of this term should be on-line shortly and will hit the newsstands tomorrow. The piece focuses on the likely contours of the race to replace Kennedy in Congress. But it also looks at the burgeoning race for Providence mayor, in the wake of incumbent David Cicilline's decision to run for Kennedy's spot.

Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts has taken a pass on the race to succeed Patrick Kennedy, as expected. With Myrth York weighing a run for Providence mayor and M. Teresa Paiva-Weed expected to skip the race - she is pro-life, which wouldn't play well in a Democratic primary and, as Senate president, carries the weight of a much-maligned General Assembly - that focuses the attention on little-known lawyer Donna Nesselbush as the likely woman candidate.

As noted at RI Future, the latest name to surface in the Congressional sweepstakes is lawyer Donna Nesselbush, known for her work to combat domestic violence, among other things.

She joins higher profile women Elizabeth Roberts, Betsy Dennigan, and Myrth York in the rumor mill. If one woman emerges, here, she'll be in solid position in a field that could be crowded and largely male.

Providence City Councilman Seth Yurdin is sending around an email soliciting support for a potential Congressional run, yet another in a long list of Dems weighing a bid for Patrick Kennedy's seat.

The GOP names floating about include former state Republican chairman John Holmes, former Kennedy opponent Jonathan Scott, and Lincoln Town Administrator T.

From CNN:

Rep. Patrick Kennedy already had a Republican challenger, businessman John Loughlin, before he decided to retire from his Rhode Island seat late Thursday.

Now that Kennedy is out of the race, another Republican might jump in: Rhode Island GOP chairman Giovanni Cicione.

"I am more than interested," Cicione told CNN Friday.

Matt Jerzyk over at RI Future and his legal blog Closing Argument suggested, last night, that State Representative Ed Pacheco might run for Congressman Patrick Kennedy's soon-to-be-vacant seat. And now, Pacheco is suggesting he is "seriously considering" a bid.

There is also talk of someone from Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd's family running.