1. H5365: Eliminates the sales, meals and beverage, and use tax in Rhode Island, beginning on October 1, 2013. (H Finance; Wed, May 15)

2. H6060: Tax-credits for the “qualified rehabilitation expenditures for the substantial rehabilitation of a certified historic structure”, with at least two notable limitations (H Finance; Tue, May 14):

• (c) Maximum project credit. – The credit allowed pursuant to this chapter shall not exceed five million dollars ($5,000,000) for any certified rehabilitation project under this chapter.
• (d) Maximum aggregate credits. – The aggregate credits authorized to be reserved pursuant to this chapter shall not exceed thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) annually.

3. H5019: Repeals the banking laws that allow pay-day lending. Also, H5128 reduces the maximum “deferred deposit transaction” fee from 10% to 5% “of the funds advanced” (probably as an alternative to the full repeal of payday lending) (H Finance; Wed, May 15)

4. H6059: The General Treasurer’s plan (sponsored by Speaker Fox) to use the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency to create and administer a state-funded “revolving loan” program “to make and enter into binding commitments to provide financial assistance to local cities and towns from amounts on deposit in the revolving fund” and “to enter into binding commitments to provide subsidy assistance for loans and city and town obligations from amounts on deposit in the revolving fund” (amongst other objectives). (H Finance; Tue, May 14)

5. S0826: Authorizes cities and towns to enact separate tax rates for owner versus non-owner occupied residential properties. (S Finance; Wed, May 15)

6. H5279: Requires qualified campus police officers at public colleges and universities to carry firearms. (H Judiciary; Tue, May 14)

7. S0252: Creates an automatic (and presumably non-refundable) $99,600 tax-credit against any required estate tax, which based on figures presented in a previous bill would create an exemption for the first $3M of an estate. (S Finance; Wed, May 15)

8. H5633: Allows a city or town to exceed the property tax cap to fund a local “community preservation fund” for “the acquisition, creation, and preservation of open space; for the acquisition, preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of historic resources; for the acquisition, creation, preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of land for recreational use; for the acquisition, creation, preservation, and support of community housing; and for rehabilitation or restoration of open space and community housing that is acquired or created as provided in this section. (H Finance; Tue, May 14)

9. S0310: Writes in-state tuition at public colleges and universities for illegal immigrants into law. (S Finance; Tue, May 14)

10. S0245: This bill claims to repeal the $500 corporate minimum income tax. However, since it does nothing to impact the $500 minimum franchise tax (a separate tax under Rhode Island law), it would have no impact on anyone’s tax liability. (S Finance; Wed, May 15) More detail about the minimum corporate income versus the minimum franchise tax is available here.

11. H5029: Requires that EBT cards include a photo of the benefit recipient. (H Finance; Tue, May 14)

12. H5255: Establishes a social media privacy policy for public and private educational institutions, mostly placing limits on the institution side. (H Judiciary; Tue, May 14)

13. S0538/H5400: Extends from July 1, 2013 to July 1, 2016 a moratorium on initial licenses for nursing facilities, and on any increase of greater than 10% in bed-capacity at an existing facility. (H Corporations; Tue, May 14 & S Health and Human Services; Tue, May 14)

14. S0116: Allows public schools to count the length of the school year as 1080 hours instead of 180 days. (S Education; Wed, May 15)

15. S0309: “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”. (S Commerce; Tue, May 14)

16. S0638: Mandates that “all higher education institutions in the state shall honor the military training, experience, correspondence courses and occupations of an individual who has served in the military or armed forces of the United States by accepting for transfer the academic credits that meet the standards of the American Council on Education or equivalent standards for awarding academic credit”. (S Education; Wed, May 15)

17. H5250: “Each year that there is a state minimum budget surplus of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) for any fiscal year, then each city and town shall receive an additional one percent (1%) of the sales taxes collected by businesses located within that municipality.” (H Finance; Wed, May 15)

18. S0908: Allows inclusionary zoning ordinances to incorporate “off-site construction or rehabilitation, donation of land suitable for development of the required affordable units, and/or the payment of a fee-in-lieu of the construction or provision of affordable housing units”. (S Housing and Municipal Government; Thu, May 15)

19. S0905: As per the official description, this bill sets standards for “licensing and regulation of naturopathic physicians”. (S Health and Human Services; Tue, May 14)

20. S0659: Redefinition of the meaning of red, yellow and green traffic lights. (H Judiciary; Tue, May 14)

Not Sure How High or Low to Rank This: H6030: 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. (H Small Business; Tue, May 14)

Local Impact: Central Falls 2, East Greenwich, Newport, New Shoreham, North Kingstown, North Providence, Portsmouth, Richmond, Woonsocket.