Thursday, March 25, 2021

1pm Governor Daniel McKee COVID-19 Press Conference

3:30pm Senate Committee on Housing & Municipal Government

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• S0117 by DiPalma, Euer, Felag, Seveney ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS – RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY (Provides that a safety barrier or safety netting would be erected on the Mount Hope Bridge, the Claiborne Pell Bridge, and the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, no later than January 1, 2023.)
• S0172 by Euer, DiPalma, Archambault, Pearson, Coyne, Sosnowski, Mendes ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES (Creates a voluntary mechanism for municipalities to use to dedicate a park, conservation or other land they own as public trust land in perpetuity to protect and preserve its future use.)
• S0241 by Bell, Mack, Quezada ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS – CRANSTON STREET ARMORY FOUNDATION (Establishes the Cranston Street Armory Foundation to restore, renovate, reconstruct and allow public use and access to the historical Cranston Street Armory structure.)
• S0655 by Coyne, Seveney, Felag ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION – BRISTOL COUNTY WATER SUPPLY (This act would delete a portion of the enabling statute for the Bristol County Water Authority.)
• S0656 by Coyne, Seveney ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION – BRISTOL COUNTY WATER SUPPLY (Repeals the requirement that the Bristol County water authority maintain its reservoirs, wells and well sites, transmission lines and water treatment plants within its jurisdiction in good, sound and safe condition.)

4pm Rhode Island House

IN ORDER FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021:

1. H5950 by Shekarchi ENTITLED, HOUSE RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY THE ENTIRE AREA OF LAND USE, PRESERVATION, DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING, ENVIRONMENT, AND REGULATION
2. H5953 SUB A by Speakman ENTITLED, HOUSE RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY THE LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING ACT
3. H5330 by Knight ENTITLED, AN ACT VALIDATING AND RATIFYING AMENDMENTS TO THE HOME RULE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF BARRINGTON
4. H5129 by Casimiro ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION – PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION
5. H5101 by Ruggiero ENTITLED, AN ACT VALIDATING AND RATIFYING AMENDMENT TO THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF JAMESTOWN
6. S0050 by Euer ENTITLED, AN ACT VALIDATING AND RATIFYING AMENDMENT TO THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF JAMESTOWN
7. H5418 by Amore ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES – APPOINTMENT, QUALIFICATION, AND TENURE OF OFFICERS
8. H5784 by Azzinaro ENTITLED, HOUSE RESOLUTION REINSTATING THE LIFE OF AND EXTENDING THE REPORTING AND EXPIRATION DATES OF THE SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A PLAN AND THE DESIGN OF A BEIRUT MEMORIAL TO BE LOCATED AT THE RHODE ISLAND STATE HOUSE

4pm Senate Committee on Judiciary

SCHEDULED FOR CONSIDERATION

• S0056 by DiPalma, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, de la Cruz, Goodwin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT – PRESERVATION OF FAMILIES WITH DISABLED PARENT ACT (Precludes a parent’s disability from serving as the sole basis for the state to institute an investigation of the disabled parent’s family.)
• S0128 by Raptakis, Lombardi, Coyne, Euer, Rogers, Paolino, Felag, Archambault ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – CHILDREN-CONFINEMENT IN MOTOR VEHICLES PROHIBITED (Repeals the requirement that law enforcement officers issue only warnings of the risks to persons leaving a child under the age of 7 unattended in a motor vehicle.)
• S0133 by Coyne, Seveney, DiMario, Murray, DiPalma, Euer ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE – SMALL CLAIMS AND CONSUMER CLAIMS – PROCEDURE IN PARTICULAR ACTIONS (Increases the maximum amount to be recovered in civil court action as a small claims from $2,500 to $7,000.)
• S0561 by Kallman, Quezada, Ciccone, Goodwin, Mack, Acosta, Euer, Murray ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY – RHODE ISLAND FAIR HOUSING PRACTICES ACT (Prohibits discrimination in housing against those persons who have a lawful source of income.)

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• S0518 by McCaffrey, Anderson, Ciccone, Quezada ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – GENERAL PROVISIONS (Delineates the definitions of felony, misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor.)
• S0188 (Attorney General) by McCaffrey, Goodwin, Miller, Euer, Lombardi, Kallman, Archambault, Valverde, DiMario, DiPalma ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS – UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT (Amends the uniform controlled substances act and reclassifies simple possession of ten grams (10g) or less of certain controlled substances as a misdemeanor punishable as a two (2) year misdemeanor rather than a felony.)
• S0065 by Miller, Coyne, Quezada, Archambault, Bell, Murray, Valverde, DiMario, Acosta ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS – UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT – OFFENSES AND PENALTIES (Excludes the possession of buprenorphine from those controlled substances that can result in criminal penalties.)
• S0503 by Euer, McCaffrey, Goodwin, Kallman, Mack ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE – IDENTIFICATION AND APPREHENSION OF CRIMINALS (Allows for the sealing of records pertaining to cases for which a person is acquitted or otherwise exonerated from a charged offense and eliminates the one hundred dollar ($100) fee for the expungement of a criminal record.)
• S0193 by Coyne, DiPalma, Euer, Valverde, Goldin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – THEFT, EMBEZZLEMENT, FALSE PRETENSES AND MISAPPROPRIATIONS (Requires that penalties or restitution payments for larceny of a campaign account or campaign expenditure reporting violations be deposited into the Rhode Island crime victim compensation program fund and not into the candidate’s campaign account.)
• S0313 by Archambault, Lombardi, McCaffrey, Ruggerio, Coyne, Euer ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS – LITTER CONTROL AND RECYCLING (Prohibits littering upon private property owned by another person.)
• S0315 by Quezada, Calkin, Mack, Cano ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE – BAIL AND RECOGNIZANCE (Amends the conditions of bail and recognizance to permit the release of a person charged with a misdemeanor without financial conditions.)
• S0408 by Quezada, Lawson, Kallman, Murray ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS – HOTELS (Requires all hotels to make a good faith effort to post human trafficking awareness signage and provide all employees with human trafficking awareness training.)
• S0530 by Rogers, de la Cruz, Paolino, Archambault, Ciccone, Lombardo, Raptakis ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING (Adds a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner or occupant of the vehicle acted in self defense.)
• S0533 by Rogers, de la Cruz, Paolino, Archambault, Ciccone, Lombardo, Raptakis ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING (Provides a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury while committing any violent criminal offense that individual is lawfully in a place they have a right to be, and acted in self-defense and reasonable belief of harm.)
• S0249 by Bell, Calkin, Murray, Anderson, Goldin, Quezada, Cano, Mendes, Valverde, Acosta ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – SEXUAL ASSAULT (Establishes criteria for the criminal offense of sexual assault when the victim is in the custody of a peace officer. The act would also provide that a person convicted of custodial sexual assault would face imprisonment for not more than 3 years.)
• S0257 by Bell, Mack, Mendes, Acosta, DiMario ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – THEFT, EMBEZZLEMENT, FALSE PRETENSES, AND MISAPPROPRIATION (Provides for a reduced penalty for the offense of larceny, and further provides for a tiered penalty system for the offense of shoplifting.)
• S0189 by DiMario, Euer, Murray, Lawson, Valverde, Pearson, Mendes, Mack, Goldin, Anderson ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS – FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES (Forbids an employer to require an employee to execute a nondisclosure agreement; or non-disparagement agreement regarding alleged violations of civil rights or criminal conduct as a condition of employment.)
• S0502 by Burke, Archambault, Lombardi, Lombardo ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – CHILDREN (Makes it a misdemeanor to possess, transfer and/or produce child erotica for the specific purpose of sexual gratification or sexual arousal, punishable by confinement in jail for not more than one year, or fine of not more than $1,000, or both.)
• S0393 by Acosta, Anderson, Calkin, Mendes, Cano, Kallman, Mack, Lawson ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS OF VOLUNTEERS AND INTERNS (Requires state and national criminal background checks person volunteering or interning at any elementary or secondary educational institution. It would also waive fees for background checks employment with salary of less than forty thousand dollars.)
• S0118 by Acosta, Calkin, Mack, Cano, Quezada, Mendes, Anderson, Euer ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES GENERAL PROVISIONS (Reduces the maximum sentence for a misdemeanor from one year to three hundred and sixty-four (364) days, and would apply to all persons sentenced after its effective date.)
• S0532 by Mack, Bell, Acosta, Kallman, Calkin, Anderson, DiMario, Valverde, Cano, Miller ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE – SENTENCE AND EXECUTION (Prohibits the court from holding a person without bail for a period not to exceed ten (10) days at the ACI for violating the terms of his/her probation.)
• S0604 by Mack, Acosta, Mendes, Calkin, Anderson, Bell ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS – UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT (Makes possession of controlled substances civil violations punishable by a $100 fine for each offense. Offenders may have to complete drug counseling and community service.)
• S0605 by Euer, Miller, Lawson, Acosta, Quezada, DiMario, Valverde, Bell ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS – THE FAIR CHANCE EMPLOYMENT ACT (Prohibits employers from conducting a background check until after a conditional employment offer is made, and prohibit considering convictions.)

5pm Senate Committee on Finance

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING

• H6122 (Governor) by Abney ENTITLED, AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE STATE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2022
  • Article 16 – Relating to Housing
  • RIHousing – RentReliefRI Program

5:30pm (Rise) House Committee on Finance

Staff Briefing – Governor’s FY 2021 Revised and FY 2022 Recommended Budget

5:30pm (Rise) House Committee on Municipal Government & Housing

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• H5479 by Azzinaro ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY – NEW HOME BUYERS FIRE PROTECTION ACT (Mandates that builders of new one or 2 family residential dwellings provide the buyer with written information regarding the installation of automatic fire sprinkler system.)
• H5587 by Filippi ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS – TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANY SERVICE (Allows New Shoreham to regulate transportation network company services.)
• H5588 by Filippi ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT – NEW SHOREHAM AFFORDABLE HOUSING ELIGIBILITY (Increases the percentage of area median income from 120% to 140% only for New Shoreham residents to make more households eligible for affordable housing.)
• H5633 by Cortvriend, Tanzi, Ruggiero, Kislak, Carson, Speakman, Ajello, Kazarian, Donovan, Fogarty ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES – ORDINANCES (Allows cities and towns to create ordinances to regulate use and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products.)
• H6041 by Casey ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES (Mandates that any notice to the public required of a municipality be posted in a newspaper that is published on a daily basis and is distributed in that municipality.)
• H6093 by Henries, Morales, Alzate ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES – ZONING ORDINANCES (Prohibits single-family residential zoning in municipalities with populations of over 20,000 and mandate that those municipalities adopt zoning regulations for middle housing in single-family residential zones.)
• H6125 by Barros, Shanley, Ruggiero, Batista, Alzate, Giraldo, Kislak, Cassar, Potter, Baginski ENTITLED, HOUSE RESOLUTION RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THAT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF EACH RHODE ISLAND CITY AND TOWN CREATE AN INDEPENDENT FIVE PERSON COMMISSION TO ENSURE THAT ANY AND ALL FEDERAL MONIES RECEIVED BY THE CITIES AND TOWNS IN THE FORTHCOMING COVID-19 RELIEF PACKAGE ARE ADMINISTERED WISELY, FAIRLY, HONESTLY AND WITH TRANSPARENCY
• H6126 by Bennett, Marszalkowski, McGaw, Ruggiero, Cortvriend, Carson, Phillips, Serpa, Vella-Wilkinson, Kennedy ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION (Entitles dairy farms to the exemptions from taxation granted to farmland, forestland, or open space.)
• H6127 by Donovan, Speakman ENTITLED, AN ACT VALIDATING AND RATIFYING AMENDMENTS TO THE HOME RULE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF BRISTOL (Validates and ratifies amendments to the Home Rule Charter of the town of Bristol, which amendments were adopted and approved by the electors of the town of Bristol on November 3, 2020.)
• H6128 by Amore ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES – RETAIL LICENSES (Authorizes the East Providence City Council to issue a Class B liquor license for a retail establishment, located at 332 Bullock Point Avenue.)
• H6139 by Place, Newberry ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO THE OAKLAND – MAPLEVILLE NUMBER 4 FIRE DISTRICT
• S0240 by Coyne ENTITLED, AN ACT VALIDATING AND RATIFYING AMENDMENTS TO THE HOME RULE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF BARRINGTON (Ratifies and validates Barrington Home Rule Charter amendments approved by electors at 11/3/20 election.)