Wednesday, May 5, 2021

9am Caseload and Revenue Estimating Conference

3pm Senate Committee on Education

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• S0207 by DiPalma, Picard, Euer ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION – RESIDENCE OF CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES (Requires state to reimburse the city/town for any costs associated with transporting children placed in foster care by RI-licensed child-placing agency or RI governmental agency to an educational facility outside the regional transportation district.)
• S0215 by Picard ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION – RESIDENCE OF CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES (Requires the department of elementary and secondary education and the DCYF to each pay 50% of the out-of-district transportation costs for children allowed to remain in the school where the child is enrolled at the time of placement.)
• S0216 by Picard ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION – RESIDENCE OF CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES (Requires state to reimburse the city/town for any costs associated with transporting children placed in foster care by RI-licensed child-placing agency or RI governmental agency to an educational facility outside the regional transportation district.)
• S0635 by Lawson, Archambault, Coyne, Seveney, Quezada, Miller, Sosnowski, Cano, Euer, Burke ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION – STUDENT TRANSPORTATION (Prohibits school committees from entering into a school bus service contract unless the contract provides for payments to school bus drivers, monitors and aids for 180 days or the length of the contracted for school year.)

3:30pm House Committee on Finance

Agenda:

• Public Higher Education
• Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

3:30pm Senate Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs

SCHEDULED FOR CONSIDERATION

• H5504 by O’Brien ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES – REGULATION OF SALES (Allows the sale of alcoholic beverages on New Year’s Day by retail Class A licensees.)
• H5593 by Fogarty, Tanzi, McEntee ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY – HOLLEY LANDING (Renames the landing in South Kingstown known as Wordens Pond Landing to Holley Landing.)

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• S0749 by Goodwin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY – JOINT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE SERVICES (Provides for amendments to statutes by the director of law revision to comply with the state name change approved by way of statewide referendum in November, 2020.)
• S0838 by F Lombardi, Lombardo, Picard, Lawson, Ciccone, Gallo, Felag ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES – GAMES OF CHANCE – FILING REQUIREMENTS (Removes the requirement, that retail businesses that promote themselves using games of chance, have to register those games of chance with the secretary of state and pay a $150 filing fee.)
• S0850 by Calkin, McCaffrey ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY – PERMANENT JOINT COMMITTEE ON NAMING ALL NEW BUILDINGS, BRIDGES, EDIFICES AND OTHER STATE CONSTRUCTIONS (Names the fishing pier at Rocky Point state park in Warwick after the former department of environmental management deputy director, Larry Mouradjian.)
• S0861 by Valverde ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY – NAMING STATE CONSTRUCTIONS – E RICHARD DURFEE ROAD (Would name a certain portion of Sand Hill Cove Road in Narragansett, “E Richard Durfee Road”.)
• S0863 by Felag ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE – RHODE ISLAND VETERANS HOME

5pm Senate Committee on Environment & Agriculture

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• S0107 by Felag, Sosnowski, Euer, Cano, Picard, McCaffrey, Goodwin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION – PFAS IN DRINKING WATER, GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATERS (Requires DOH to establish maximum contaminate levels of PFSA in drinking water and to set interim standards. Also requires DEM to set standards for PFSA in ground- and surface waters. Defines PFSA as hazardous substances.)
• S0110 by Seveney, Anderson, Calkin, DiMario, Quezada, McCaffrey ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY – PFAS IN FOOD PACKAGING (Prohibits PFAS, a class of fluorinated organic chemicals, from being used in food packaging.)
• S0154 by Sosnowski, Coyne, Miller, McCaffrey, Gallo, Valverde, Euer, DiPalma ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY – ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE ACT OF 2021 (Establishes a fee on companies that sell fossil fuels in Rhode Island and establishes a fund to disburse the collected funds.)
• S0466 by Ruggerio, Ciccone, Seveney, McCaffrey ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY – ANIMAL CARE (Waives the adoption fee to adopt a dog or cat from a public animal shelter for a veteran that presents a current and valid driver’s license or identification card with the word “veteran” printed on its face.)
• S0758 by Miller, DiMario, Sosnowski, Pearson, Euer ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS – RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARD (Sets forth new renewable energy standards.)

5pm Senate Committee on Labor

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• S0808 by F Lombardi, Ciccone, Raptakis, Lombardo, Archambault, Picard ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS – EMPLOYMENT SECURITY – BENEFITS – RHODE ISLAND BACK TO WORK INCENTIVE PROGRAM (Provides 13 weeks of benefits to persons returning to work of $150 per week prorated plus additional compensation up to $1,950 prorated with benefits expiring on January 1, 2022.)
• S0858 by Goodwin, Ciccone, Ruggerio ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS – EMPLOYMENT SECURITY – GENERAL PROVISIONS (Increases partial unemployment benefits by disregarding an amount of earnings when calculating weekly benefit rate with expiration date of 6/30/22.)
• S0272 by Goldin, Goodwin, Murray, Coyne, Valverde, Mendes, DiMario, Mack, Miller, Quezada ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS – FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES ACT (Changes the definition of employee and employer for purposes of the fair employment practices act, while expanding personal liability for violations.)
• S0431 by Quezada ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HOLIDAYS AND DAYS OF SPECIAL OBSERVANCE – HOLIDAY AND SUNDAY WORK (For purposes of overtime pay on Sundays and holidays, removes health care and maintenance workers from the definition of employees not entitled to overtime pay, thereby enabling them to collect overtime pay.)
• S0437 by Quezada, Calkin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS – MINIMUM WAGES (For proposed wages, workers’ compensation, temporary disability and unemployment benefits this act creates a new definition for “employee”.)
• S0550 by Kallman, DiMario, Euer, Acosta, Ciccone, Seveney, Mack, Coyne, Miller, Quezada ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS – THE RHODE ISLAND WHISTLE BLOWERS’ PROTECTION ACT (Prohibits an employer from reporting an employee’s immigration status for whistle blowing.)
• S0837 by Pearson, Seveney, Acosta, Goldin, Miller ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS – TEMPORARY DISABILITY INSURANCE – CONTRIBUTIONS (Decreases an employee’s obligation for contribution from wages and require an employer to contribute one-half of the amount to an employee’s contribution.)

6pm House Committee on Health & Human Services

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

• H6236 by Casimiro, Vella-Wilkinson, Ackerman, Kazarian, Kennedy, Fenton-Fung, Noret ENTITLED, HOUSE RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO REQUIRE LICENSED NURSING FACILITIES TO REPORT ON THE NUMBER AND PERCENT OF RESIDENTS AND STAFF RECEIVING COVID-19 VACCINATIONS DURING THE DECLARED FEDERAL AND STATE HEALTH EMERGENCY (AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTER IF COVID-19 OUTBREAKS OCCUR)
• H6282 by Fellela, Azzinaro, Casey, Messier ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY – EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES-AMBULANCE SERVICE COORDINATING BOARD (Gives the ambulance service coordinating board approval powers over regulations, protocols, standards, licensing fees and other administrative actions set proposed by the director of health.)
• H6283 by Serpa ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY – DONATION OF MEDICATIONS FOR USE BY NONPROFIT, STATE AND LOCAL FACILITIES (Establishes a process for the donation of unused medications for use by nonprofit, state and local facilities by owners of animals.)
• H6284 by Morgan, Serpa ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY – LICENSING OF SWIMMING POOLS (No lifeguard or person trained in first aid required at swimming pools.)