1. Two minimum wage bills; H7056 provides a one-time raise in the minimum wage to $9 per-hour, and H7194 sets the minimum wage at $9 per hour for 2015, $10 per hour for 2016 and automatically adjusts it upward for inflation after that. (H Labor; Tue, Feb 4)

2. H7050/S2008: A “person, corporation, or other entity who has resolved” 38 Studios project claims “is not liable for claims for contribution or equitable indemnity regarding matters addressed in the settlement”. (H Judiciary; Tue, Feb 4) Passed unanimously by the Senate, this bill’s fast-tracking continues.

3. H7067: An attempt by legislators to prevent expansion of the Blackstone Prep Mayoral Academy, by not allowing schools to be built on the sites of former mines, even if the building site meets every other building code and engineering regulation in the state of Rhode Island, and with no provisions for variances, clean-up or appeals. (H Health, Education and Welfare; Wed, Feb 5) This bill is also an end-run by legislators around the principle that their job is to pass laws for the benefit of all and not to punish specific organizations.

4. Bud. Art. 12, sec. 1: 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. (H Finance; Wed, Feb 5)

5. H7059/S2011: Strong statutory reminder that the transformation of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation into the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation was just a name change, and that “nothing in this act shall be construed to change or modify the corporate existence of the former Rhode Island economic development corporation”. (H Finance; Wed, Feb 5)

6. Bud. Art. 14: In the event that an internet sales tax is passed by the Federal Government, the Rhode Island corporate income tax-rate will be lowered from 9% to 6% (and a provision that would have lowered the state sales tax from 7% to 6.5% under the same circumstance is removed from the law). (S Finance; Tue, Feb 4)

7. H7024: Constitutional amendment (which would have to be ratified by the voters) proposing 4 year terms for state Senators and Representatives, with a maximum of 3 terms allowed. (H Judiciary; Wed, Feb 5)

8. H7178 Beginning in 2014, retailers with $5M in annual sales “are prohibited from making available any plastic checkout bag, not including plastic barrier bags or double-opening plastic bags”. In 2015, the ban is extended to all retailers. (H Environment and Natural Resources; Thu, Feb 6)

9. H7022: “No lobbyist, governed by this chapter, shall make any political contributions to any member of the general assembly from January 1, through July 1, for each session”. (H Judiciary; Wed, Feb 5)

10. Bud. Art. 18, sec. 1: Separates the adjutant general of the Rhode Island national guard from the role of head of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, and replaces him or her with “an executive director, who shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of, the governor” (with no mention of Senate confirmation) (H Finance; Wed, Feb 5)

11. Bud. Art. 28: Removes the requirement that the state reimburse municipalities for part of the school breakfast program that it will continue to mandate, and abolishes the state’s textbook reimbursement fund. (H Finance; Tue, Feb 4 & S Finance; Thu, Feb 6) The “Aid to Schools” appendix of the Governor’s proposed budget adds that “state financing for the Textbook Expansion program and the School Breakfast program will also be discontinued. This will not affect operations in either program since state aid is provided only for additional assistance. The operating costs for both programs are financed by the LEAs and through federal funds, respectively” and that $510,000 will be cut from the budget by eliminating funding for these programs.

12. H7177: Bans certain types of health insurance policies from “vary[ing] the premium rate for a health coverage plan based on the gender of the individual policy holders”. The types of policies excluded are “hospital confinement indemnity, disability income, accident only, long-term care, medicare supplement, limited benefit health, specified diseased indemnity, sickness of bodily injury or death by accident or both; and/or other limited benefit policies” (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 4) Is there a reason automobile insurance isn’t being considered by the General Assembly for inclusion into this kind of regulation?

13. H7071: Alters the method of selection of various administrator/magistrate positions in the Rhode Island Court system from appointment by senior judges, to gubernatorial appointment “on the basis of merit, from a list submitted by the judicial nominating commission”. (H Judiciary; Wed, Feb 5)

14. Bud. Art. 16: Establishes a “Task Force on the Underground Economy and Employee Misclassification” within state government and chaired by the Director of Labor and Training, to “foster voluntary compliance with the law by educating business owners and employees about applicable requirements; conduct joint, targeted investigations and enforcement actions against violators; protect the health, safety and benefit rights of workers; and restore competitive equality for law-abiding businesses”. (S Finance; Tue, Feb 4 & H Finance; Thu, Feb 6)

15. H7111: Municipalities that require their retirees to enroll in Medicare to receive post-retirement health benefits “shall reimburse such retiree for any costs associated with enrolling or maintaining enrollment in Medicare”. (H Municipal Affairs; Thu, Feb 6)

16. Bud. Art. 21: This budget article looks like an attempt to direct Rhode Island gas-tax revenue to “highway maintenance”, a “heavy vehicle replacement program”, “a drainage system preservation program” and “preventative maintenance, preservation, and replacement program to address the condition of all state-maintained bridges”. (S Finance; Thu, Feb 6) Ranked low at the moment, because of questions about how effective provisions like this one can be, due to the basic fungibility of money.

17. H7031: Model legislation from the National Conference of Insurance Legislators, requiring life insurance companies to perform a semi-annual review of “in-force life insurance policies and retained asset accounts issued for delivery in this state against a death master file”.  (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 4)  Apparently, for bills not related to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, the best way to get them fast-tracked in RI is to have them be written by insurance lobbyists!

18. H7138: An accountability and transparency act, for Rhode Island’s “quasi-public corporations”, defining the duties of board members, specifying information and reports to be available to the public (via direct website link), requiring regular audits on a three-year cycle, requiring them to use the state purchasing process, and *drum roll please*…

…requiring them to “adopt a code of ethics applicable to each officer, director and employee of the corporation that, at a minimum, includes the standards established in chapter 36-14 (‘Code of Ethics’)… (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 4) …because everyone in Rhode Island knows you can’t trust a public body that won’t subject itself to a code of ethics.

19. 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 5)

20. H7198: The battle in Rhode Island over breed-specific dog laws continues. Current law, passed last year, says “No city or town may enact any rule, regulation or ordinance specific to any breed of dog or cat”. This bill would amend that provision, by adding “except in those instances where the rule, regulation or ordinance pertains to spaying or neutering”. (H Municipal Affairs; Thu, Feb 6)

Ranking Indeterminate: 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.  (S Finance; Thu, Feb 6)

Inobvious Priorities: H7131 >> Registration of music therapists.

Local Impact: Coventry, North Providence , Pawtucket, West Greenwich, West Warwick 2.