2. S2399: Allows cities and towns to issue bonds for an amounts up to 5% of their budgets, in order to obtain loans from the “municipal road and bridge revolving fund administered by the Rhode Island clean water finance agency”, with a further provision that the bonds “may be issued under this section by any political subdivision without obtaining the approval of its electors…notwithstanding any provision of its charter to the contrary”. (S Finance; Thu, Feb 27) According to the Projo’s Phil Marcelo, there’s supposed to be an amendment coming to this bill, which will limit its impact to only this year. However, I still don’t see how that makes this a good idea.

3. Bud. Art. 21: An attempt to direct Rhode Island gas-tax revenue to “highway maintenance”, a “heavy vehicle replacement program”, “a drainage system preservation program” and a “preventative maintenance, preservation, and replacement program to address the condition of all state-maintained bridges”. (H Finance; Tue, Feb 25) Labeled as an “attempt” due to heavy skepticism about how effective provisions like this can be, due to the basic fungibility of money.

4. S2175: Limits annual electricity rate increases to the rate of inflation, as determined by the Consumer Price Index. (S Commerce; Thu, Feb 27)

5A. H7313: Prohibits “direct cash assistance funds held on electronic benefit transfer cards or access devices” from being used to purchase “alcoholic beverages”, “lottery tickets”, “tobacco products”, “visual material or performances intended to create or simulate sexual conduct or sexual excitement”, “firearms and ammunition”, “vacation services”, “tattoos or body piercings”, “jewelry”; “gambling” or “the payment to the state or any political subdivision thereof of any fees, fines, bail, or bail bonds”. (H Judiciary; Tue, Feb 25)

5B. S2382: Requires a photo ID when using a food stamp benefits card. (S Judiciary; Tue, Feb 25)

6. H7469: Creates a multi-step bureaucratic process for privatization of municipal services, including allowing unions to sue in Superior Court to stop privatization, so that a judge can make the final decision. (H Municipal Government; Thu, Feb 27)

7A. Bud. Art. 5: Bond issues to be decided by the voters on the 2014 ballot (and being heard on different days)…

• $125,000,000 for “Higher Education Facilities” (H Finance; Wed, Feb 26)
• $35,000,000 for the “Creative and Cultural Economy” (H Finance; Wed, Feb 26)
• $40,000,000 for “Mass Transit Hub Infrastructure” (H Finance; Tue, Feb 25), and
• $75,000,000 for “environmental and recreational purposes” (H Finance; Thu, Feb 27)

7B. Bud. Art. 4: A series of “financing leases, guarantees, bonds, and/or other obligations”, enabled by Rhode Island’s Public Corporation Debt Management Law, that do not require voter approval…

• “Financing in an amount not to exceed $30.0 million for the provision of information technology improvements, including $0.5 million to pay costs of financing” (H Finance; Wed, Feb 26),
• “Financing in an amount not to exceed $13.0 million for the provision of renovations and upgrades to the Virks Building at the Pastore Center in Cranston, which will provide additional office space for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, including $0.2 million to pay costs of financing” (H Finance; Wed, Feb 26),
• “Financing in an amount not to exceed $45.0 million for the provision of financing for construction of a parking garage at the current site of the Garrahy surface parking lot providing approximately 1,250 parking spaces and 13,800 square feet of retail space on the ground level” (H Finance; Wed, Feb 26), and
• Authorization for the Rhode Island Airport Corporation to issue bonds that “shall be limited to not more than $60,000,000″, where “total debt service on the Bonds is not expected to exceed approximately $4,600,000 annually and approximately $135,000,000 in the aggregate based on anticipated level annual payments, an estimated average interest rate of 6.25% and a maturity of 30 years”. Also, these bonds “shall not constitute indebtedness of the State or a debt for which the full faith and credit of the State is pledged or a moral obligation thereof”. (H Finance; Tue, Feb 25) But is 6.25% a good rate on bonds like these?

8. Bud. Art. 27: Makes persons with life-estates ineligible for certain types of government medical care programs, unless “all outstanding remainder interest” is conveyed to him or herself. (S Finance; Tue, Feb 25)

9. Bud. Art. 12: Persons who have “neglected or refused to file a tax return(s) and/or to pay any tax administered by the tax administrator” will not be allowed to register or transfer registrations of motor vehicles (sec. 1); expansion of the sales tax on hotel rooms, with specific mentions of “sellers of travel packages”, “room resellers” and “bed and breakfasts (B&B’s)” and “time shares” (secs. 3 & 4). (S Finance; Thu, Feb 27)

10. H7462: Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to request “more or different documents” than required to satisfy the Federal Employment Verification System. (H Labor; Tue, Feb 25)

11. S2281: Creates a “Joint Committee of the Repealer”, within the legislature, to recommend laws & regulations for repeal. (S Judiciary; Tue, Feb 25)

12. H7338: “In the event that a municipality reports a budgetary surplus of funds at the end of its fiscal year, but has not made its timely and legally required contribution to any locally administered pension, then…the municipality shall contribute that amount of its surplus funds necessary to meet its legally required pension fund obligations”. (H Municipal Government; Thu, Feb 27)

13. H7293: Limits “legal fees paid to attorneys representing any municipality as well as those representing any labor organization pertaining to a labor contract” to “0.2% of the value of the contract”. (H Labor; Tue, Feb 25)

14. H7401: Requires a Department of Health inspection of any “barbering, hairdressing, and cosmetic therapy and/or manicuring” business before that business can open. The inspection fee is $100. (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 25)

15. H7408/H7473: Caps damages in lawsuits against the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority at $100,000, unless the General Assembly specifically authorizes more. (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 25)

16. H7390: Would mandate that prevailing wages (as determined by the state director of labor and training) be paid only on state construction contracts of $100,000 or more (current exemption is $1,000). (H Labor; Tue, Feb 25)

17. The House Judiciary slate for Wednesday, February 26 contains 10 bills on animal cruelty.

18. S2106/S2107/S2108/S2246: A set of bills that will allow municipal labor contracts to have a term of five years (instead of three), “if a municipality has a locally administered pension plan in ‘critical status’, and is required to submit a funding improvement plan”. (RI law already allows five-year contracts in communities where a budget commission or receiver has been installed). (S Labor; Wed, Feb 26)

19. H7342: Allows “developmental disability agencies…to self-insure healthcare provided to their employees” (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 25) Why this particular type of “agency” needs special treatment with regards to insurance written into the law is not explained in the bill.

Indeterminate Rankings: Bud. Art. 15: Adds $52.1 million “originally planned for a [historic tax credit?] reserve fund” to the historic tax credit project fund, raising the amount of credits available from $299.9 million to $352.0 million. (H Finance; Wed, Feb 26 & S Finance Thu, Feb 27) This budget article also rather pointedly strikes “to foster civic beauty, promote public education, pleasure and welfare and otherwise generally improve and further enhance the long-term economic well-being of the citizens and municipalities of the State of Rhode Island” from the explanation of the purpose of historic tax-credits, making one wonder what projects that don’t meet those criteria may have been placed on the insider’s track.

Bud. Art. 8: Changes to the Bristol County Water Authority, with lots of specific mentions of East Providence and Pawtucket, plus a reference to $13M in general obligation bonds. (H Finance; Thu, Feb 27)

Bud. Art. 13: Convoluted changes to the state’s share of table-gaming revenue at Twin River that include the phrase “After casino gaming has commenced in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts…” (S Finance; Thu, Feb 27)

H7460: Following a section of a law about “two (2) or more persons jointly or severally liable in tort for the same injury to person or property”, adds that “no party shall be deemed jointly liable in tort for an injury to person or property unless it is determined that such person is at least 51% liable in tort for the injury to person or property”. (H Judiciary; Tue, Feb 25)

Inobvious Priorities: H7192 >> Regulation of circus elephants; S2226 >> Labeling of genetically modified foods.

Local Impact: North Providence, Providence, Scituate, Initially Woonsocket (Landmark Hospital).