Friday, March 19, 2021

1pm House Committee on Judiciary

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Craven outlines guidelines for public testimony ahead of gun hearings

The House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on several bills pertaining to firearms on Friday, March 19 at 1pm. With members of the public signing up to testify on pending legislation in large numbers, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Craven is making sure that all those interested are aware of the guidelines for public comment.

“We intend to make our hearings fair and equitable to both sides: those opposed to gun control, as well as those advocating for it,” said Chairman Craven. “This is my ninth session as a member of the Judiciary Committee, and my third as chair. The procedures in place are the same that have been used previously for bills pertaining to the Second Amendment. The only difference now is that due to COVID-19 safety protocols, the State House is closed to the public. Instead of testifying in person, individuals are testifying virtually.

“Based on the significant number of individuals already signed up to testify, it is clear that the pandemic is not prohibiting our constituents from making their voices heard,” Chairman Craven continued. “We welcome feedback from the public, and in order to ensure the hearings are as efficient as possible – and that everyone who wants to be heard has the opportunity to do so – we are making sure the public is aware of the guidelines for testimony. Members of the committee carefully read all written testimony, and it is a very effective way to inform them of your views.”

As of Thursday’s 4pm deadline, the committee has received approximately 350 requests from individuals who wish to provide verbal testimony. To ensure the fair and orderly conduct of the committee, Chairman Craven said the following procedures will be applied: sponsors will have three minutes to speak on each bill. Three advocates who are proponents and three advocates who are opponents will offer three minutes of testimony each.

Members of the public who have signed up to provide verbal testimony will have one minute and 15 seconds to speak. A chime will inform those testifying when they have reached one minute, and they will then have 15 seconds to conclude. First preference will be given to Rhode Island residents. Those unable to provide verbal testimony are encouraged to submit written testimony to the committee members.

“I have full faith and confidence that Chairman Craven will treat everyone fairly and impartially as he always does in conducting the Judiciary Committee,” said Speaker Joseph Shekarchi.

Written testimony is encouraged and may be emailed to [email protected]. Please indicate your name, bill number, and your position on the bill (for, against or neither) at the top of the message. For faster processing, please submit testimony as a PDF file if possible. Written testimony will be posted on the General Assembly website as soon as possible.

Below is all the video.

The bills under consideration:

• H5381 by Williams, Batista, Giraldo, Caldwell, Morales ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Requires firearm sellers to require purchaser to execute medical authorization/release form for release of records relating to addiction/alcoholism/mental health illness for a period of five years.)
• H5386 (Attorney General) by Knight, Caldwell, Craven, McEntee, Speakman, Blazejewski, Carson, Amore, Kazarian, Williams ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Prohibits obtaining/purchasing/transferring a firearm on behalf of another person if other person prohibited from possessing firearm with increase in penalties for those offenses and applications amended to state number of firearms purchased.)
• H5395 by O’Brien, Corvese, Vella-Wilkinson, Noret ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION – MAINTENANCE OF ORDER ON CAMPUS (SEE TITLE 16 CHAPTER 97 – THE RHODE ISLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION ACT) (Mandates arming campus police at public higher educational institutions and includes campus police in the definition of “law enforcement officer” for the purposes of the “Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.”)
• H5553 (Attorney General/General Treasurer/Lieutenant Governor/Secretary of State) by Caldwell, Knight, Blazejewski, Kazarian, Craven, McNamara, Batista, Felix, Ajello, McEntee ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Felony to store firearms unlocked.)
• H5554 (Attorney General/General Treasurer/Lieutenant Governor/Secretary of State) by Caldwell, Knight, Blazejewski, Kazarian, Craven, McNamara, Felix, Ajello, McEntee, Williams ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – LARGE CAPACITY FEEDING DEVICE BAN OF 2021 (Bans firearm magazines that hold 10 or more rounds.)
• H5555 (Attorney General/General Treasurer/Lieutenant Governor/Secretary of State) by Kazarian, Diaz, Ajello, Ranglin-Vassell, Fogarty, Caldwell, Blazejewski, McEntee, Carson, Cortvriend ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Prohibits the possession of firearms on school grounds except for peace officers, retired law enforcement officers, persons under contract to provide school security services, and unloaded firearms in locked containers or a locked rack on motor vehicles.)
• H5556 (Attorney General/General Treasurer/Lieutenant Governor/Secretary of State) by Caldwell, Knight, Blazejewski, Kazarian, Craven, McNamara, Batista, Williams, Amore, Giraldo ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – ASSAULT WEAPONS (Bans the possession, sale, and transfer of assault weapons.)
• H5557 by Lima, Place ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Provides that any person 18 years of age who is issued a license may carry a stun gun. This act would also add “tasers” to the definition of “firearm” and would provide for an appeal process for denial of an application for a permit.)
• H5558 by Perez, Vella-Wilkinson, Williams, Cardillo, Corvese, Place ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Allows those persons with concealed carry permits issued by other states to carry upon their person weapons in Rhode Island provided that the issuing state recognizes and gives reciprocity to RI permit holders.)
• H5639 by Solomon ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Allows reciprocal concealed carry permits from out of state to be valid in Rhode Island, which is either authorized by the attorney general or subject to other reciprocal restrictions.)
• H5726 by Diaz, Slater ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Defines rifle and shotgun and makes it unlawful to possess a loaded rifle or shotgun in public subject to various exemptions for law enforcement and other authorized individuals.)
• H5727 by Casey, Filippi, Craven, Lima, Chippendale, Corvese, Kennedy, Solomon, Phillips, Hawkins ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT – DEPARTMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL (Requires the office of the attorney general to issue a report containing the total cases charged with a firearm in all Rhode Island courts and a list of cases charged with a firearm which have been disposed during the calendar year.)
• H5730 by Cardillo, Noret, Baginski, Corvese, Perez, Chippendale, Solomon, Lima, Craven ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Authorizes the attorney general to enter into a reciprocal agreement with Massachusetts and/or Connecticut for handgun permits.)
• H5882 by Place, Quattrocchi, Chippendale, Nardone ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Amends the definition of firearms to include tasers, as well as define taser and stun gun.)
• H5942 by Ranglin-Vassell, Kislak, Ajello, Fogarty, Alzate, Barros, Henries ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Prohibits schools from offering employment incentives or bonuses to teachers on the condition that the teacher either is or becomes licensed to carry a weapon.)
• H5969 (Attorney General) by Felix, Knight, Tanzi, Cassar, Shanley, Caldwell, Batista, Craven, McEntee, Henries ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Defines rifle and shotguns as weapons and makes unlawful possession of a loaded rifle/shotgun in public with exceptions punishable up to five years in prison or a $5,000 fine.)
• H5970 by Tanzi, Ajello, Ranglin-Vassell, Knight, Fogarty, Kislak, Amore, Henries, Batista, Donovan ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Increases the age from 18 to 21 years for lawful sale of firearms or ammunition. Full-time law enforcement, state marshals and members of the U.S. military be exempt from these prohibitions.)
• H5971 by Noret, Casimiro, Vella-Wilkinson, Corvese, Alzate, Solomon, Craven, Casey, Place, Lima ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Creates an appeal for applicants denied a concealed firearms permit/firearms transfer with the right to superior court hearing with all records deemed as non-public records.)
• H5972 by Chippendale, Quattrocchi, Place ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Permits Rhode Island residents, 21 years of age or older, to carry a concealed handgun, without a permit.)
• H5973 by Filippi, Chippendale, Quattrocchi, Corvese, Place ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Permits the open and concealed carry of weapons by any person in the act of evacuating the area pursuant to an order of the governor or local authority under chapter 15 of title 30.)
• H6082 (Attorney General) by McEntee, Craven ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – WEAPONS (Defines “electric arm” subjects to various protections of firearms/removes stun gun from the prohibited weapons list.)

3:30pm Senate Committee on Health & Human Services

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• S0232 by Lombardi, Lombardo, Picard, Felag, Quezada, DiMario, Morgan, de la Cruz ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS – PHYSICAL THERAPISTS (Includes in the practice of physical therapy the ordering of diagnostic imaging (x-ray imaging) to be performed by other health care professionals.)
• S0235 by Gallo, Lombardo ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS – PHYSICAL THERAPISTS (Authorizes a licensed physical therapist to perform physical therapy services to a student while in school without a prescription or referral, in accordance with the student’s IEP or IFSP.)
• S0588 by Valverde, Miller, DiMario, Goldin, Lawson ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS – PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS (Expands the rights of physician assistants with regard to their practice and prohibits non-compete clauses that exceed five years with regard to the purchase and sale of a practice.)
• S0483 by Ciccone, Euer, Calkin, Kallman, Acosta, Valverde, Bell ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY – THE CONSUMER PROTECTION IN EYE CARE ACT (Provides for consumer protection in eye care services by developing standards and enforcement protocols related to the utilization of assessment mechanisms in the provision of eye care services.)

4pm Joint Committee on State Lottery

Agenda:

1. Financial Update
2. Sports Betting Update
3. Facilities Update
   • Tiverton Casino Update
   • Twin River Casino Update
4. Marketing/Promotions
5. Other Updates
6. Adjournment

5:30pm Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight

Agenda:

• Opening Comments – Chairman DiPalma
• Overview and Current Status of the Eleanor Slater Hospital System
  • Womazetta Jones, Secretary – Executive Office of Health and Human Services
• Public Comments
• Closing Comments