Coming up in Committee: Twelve Sets of Bills to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, May 28 – May 30

1. S0246: Eliminates the sales, meals and beverage, and use tax in Rhode Island, beginning on October 1, 2013. (S Finance; Thu, May 30)

2. On Wednesday, May 29, the House Finance Committee will hear the House leadership’s “economic development package”. The major legislation in this package…

  • Creates an undergovernor, to perform duties with respect to commerce that the Governor is unable to do or uninterested in (H6063),
  • Changes the name of the “Economic Development Corporation” to the “Rhode Island Commerce corporation” while leaving its quasi-public status and most of its powers untouched and making the undergovernor its head (H6071), and
  • Directs the renamed Economic Development Corporation to “provide a concierge-level of call service…to assist businesses in navigating through the various permitting and regulatory requirements and to reduce obstacles to growth within the state. The services shall include but not be limited to peer to peer assistance, mentoring, finance options, and services as the board may determine”, without mentioning a funding source for this activity (H6067).

To be passed with the Governor’s support and without a veto override, this legislation will probably have to be amended. A key item to look for in potential amendments is what powers of the EDC House leadership deems off-limits to change — and who it is that benefits from non-reform.

3. S0334: Legalizes (not just decriminalizes) “actually and constructively using, obtaining, purchasing, transporting, or possessing one ounce (1 oz.) or less of marijuana”. (S Judiciary; Tue, May 28)

4. H5255: Establishes a social media privacy policy for educational institutions and employers, mostly placing limits on what the institutions can ask of individuals. (H Judiciary; Tue, May 28)

5. H5612: Joins Rhode Island to something called the “International emergency management assistance compact”. Two interesting sections of this compact are Article IV, which reads “Any party jurisdiction requested to render mutual aid or conduct exercises and training for mutual aid shall undertake to respond as soon as possible, except that it is understood that the jurisdiction rendering aid may withhold or recall resources to the extent necessary to provide reasonable protection for that jurisdiction” and Article III section (a)(7) which requires member jurisdictions to “provide, to the extent authorized by law, for temporary suspension of any statutes or ordinances, over which the province or state has jurisdiction, that impede the implementation of the responsibilities described in this subsection”. (H Veterans Affairs; Thu, May 30)

6. H5512: Changes to how mortgages are recorded, centering on a rule that “any mortgage or mortgage assignment that therein identifies as the mortgagee an entity that is not the payee, holder or beneficial owner of the note secured by the mortgage at the time of the recording…shall not be valid or enforceable if recorded after the enactment of this section [but] the invalidity of the mortgage shall not invalidate the underlying indebtedness intended to be secured by the mortgage”. (H Corporations; Wed, May 29)

7. S0672: Prohibits local ordinances concerning “the location, design, construction, or maintenance of on-site sewage disposal systems and/or wetland setbacks” from being more stringent than DEM or CRMC regulations. (S Environment and Agriculture; Wed, May 29)

8. S0026: Subjects Bryant University to Smithfield property taxes. (S Finance; Thu, May 30)

9. S0323: Extends the lifetime of any currently-active Department of Environmental Management permit until June 30, 2015, regardless of current expiration date. (S Housing and Municipal Government; Tue, May 28) This would be the second extension given, meaning that some permits that had originally been set to expire prior to 2011 will be extended to 2015.

10. H6153: Gives the Rhode Island workers’ compensation court the power to determine employee versus independent contractor status when such status is in dispute. (H Judiciary; Tue, May 28) Do other states have a problem making these “determinations”, or is this an only in Rhode Island problem?

11. H5454: “Notwithstanding any general or public law to the contrary, the [Public Utilities Commission] and the division shall have no jurisdiction or authority over wireless service”. (H Corporations; Tue, May 28)

12. S0836: Regulation of municipal streetlight financing. (S Housing and Municipal Government; Tue, May 28) Previous generations seemed to have handled this issue with much less difficulty. Are we just not as smart as they were?


Unclear where to rank these: H5459/H5530/H5839: A raft of insurance regulation bills, also including H5608, which brings Rhode Island law into alignment with the “National Association of Insurance Commissioners Model” (S Commerce; Tue, May 28) Haven’t I read somewhere that “model legislation” is bad, and should be immediately suspect?

Still unclear where to rank this: S0809: Creates a 9-member board, including several “cabinet” heads or their designees, to decide on criteria to let businesses advertise their products as “Made in Rhode Island” and to study ways to increase the production and demand of locally produced goods and services. (S Commerce; Tue, May 28)


Local Impact: Central Falls 2, Cranston 2, North Providence, Richmond, West Warwick.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in The Ocean State Current, including text, graphics, images, and information are solely those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the views and opinions of The Current, the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, or its members or staff. The Current cannot be held responsible for information posted or provided by third-party sources. Readers are encouraged to fact check any information on this web site with other sources.

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