Stephanie Osborn from our PR Committee had the pleasure of sitting down and interviewing chamber member Sarah Bisch and learning more about her and her business. Sarah is a Financial Advisor with Santander Bank and has been a financial advisor for 4 years. I asked Sarah the following six questions.
 
SO: How did you get started in your business?
 
SB:I was recruited while in retail banking to becme an assistant to a financial advisor and more recently I was recruited by Santander. Now I have team, and coach team members on both interpersonal and sales skills. I help team members learn how to speak to someone getting a mortgage to transition over to other financial products.
 
SO: What did you do before starting your business?
 
SB: I was an assistant to a financial advisor and before that I was in a retail banking call center assisting with sales.
 
SO: What is the biggest lesson you have learned in your line of work?
 
SB: Its ok to not know the answer. You want to answer everyone’s question, but if you don’t know the answer, saying “let me find out” is appreciated more by the client.
 
SO: What has been your greatest achievement/enjoyment since starting your business?
 
SB: I love being able to help people, especially someone who’s really worried about their finances, and being able to tell them they will be fine. I love taking away their stress about money.
 
SO: What advice, if any, would you give others who are interested in your field?
 
SB: I would tell them “don’t quit”. It can be very hard when the market gets bumpy, but it is a  really successful, rewarding career.
 
SO: How do you envision your business in the next couple of years?
 
SB: I’d like to move home to Bristol and do more community work with the bank.
 
​

Last Wednesday arrived with yet another cancellation due to the prediction of a snow storm.  All hearings were again postponed.  The Senate Labor Committee rescheduled its hearings for Wednesday, March 28th as did the Senate Committee on Environment and Energy.
 
What’s Going On This Week
 
Tuesday, March 27th
 
The Senate Judiciary Committee is meeting to consider a number of bills, one of which is S.2699, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Fair Employment Practices – Sexual Harassment (Senators Goldin, Goodwin, Coyne, Lynch Prata and Gallo).  S.2699 requires all businesses with 4 or more employees to have a written policy on sexual harassment in the workplace (current law is 50 or more employees).  The policy must include: A statement of the range of consequences for employees who are found to have committed sexual harassment; a description of the process for filing internal complaints about sexual harassment and the work addresses and telephone numbers of the person or persons to whom complaints should be made; and the identity of the appropriate state and federal employment discrimination enforcement agencies, and directions as to how to contact these agencies.  The policy must be given to each employee.  Employers must conduct sexual harassment training programs for their employees by September 1, 2018 and within one month of hire for new employees after that date.  The Department of Labor, together with the Commission for Human Rights, have enforcement powers
 
 
Wednesday, March 28th
 
The Senate Labor Committee will take testimony on two bills Wednesday, March 28th.  S.2475 (Senators Goldin, Goodwin, Ruggerio, Lynch Prata, and McCaffrey) requires employers to pay employees at the same wage rate if they have the similar skills, efforts, responsibilities, and work in similar working conditions.  A wage differential is allowed if: (1) a seniority system exists (although pregnancy leave, medical leave and family leave can’t affect the seniority calculation); (2) a merit system has been adopted; (3) a system exists that measures quantity output – and the business can prove it is a fair calculation; or (4) some other system that the business can prove is based on necessity and that the system is not based on gender or race.  If an employer is deemed to be in violation of this act, the employer can not cure the situation by lowering the wages of other employees.  If an applicant requests a copy of the wage ranges for all comparable jobs in the company prior to the employer asking the applicant about wage expectations, that request must be honored; and every employee has the right to ask for the company’s current wage range comparisons annually.  Finally, any employee that successfully challenges his/her wages is entitled to unpaid back wages, benefits, other compensatory damages and liquidated damages equal to three times the unpaid wages and benefits owed.  The Chamber opposes S.2475.
 
S.2638 (Senators Goodwin and Goldin) requires businesses with 100 or more employees to file an annual report with the Department of Labor.  The report must contain information regarding the compensation and hours worked by employees broken down by gender, race, ethnicity, and job category.  Should an employer fail to submit the report, the Department can file and action in court to compel the company to comply.  The Chamber opposes S.2638.
 
The Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture will take testimony on S.2188 (Senators Calkin, Miller, Sosnowski, Coyne, and Seveney).  This bill creates the “Energize Rhode Island” program.  The costs associated with S.2188 would place high financial burdens on businesses that rely on carbon based fuel for transport, heat, or electricity.  The bill imposes a $15 per ton carbon tax on all fossil fuels that escalates $5 per ton every year thereafter until the rate equals $50 per ton.  Once the $50 per ton rate is reached, the tax would raise annually according to the rate of inflation. The implementation trigger date is dependent upon passage of a carbon fee of at least $5 per metric ton in Massachusetts and one other New England state.  Electric companies would pay the tax on behalf of their customers which would then be passed along to the consumer.  The goal is to eliminate the use of fossil fuels.  The taxes collected are placed into the Energize Rhode Island Fund.  Twenty-eight (28%) would be used to fund climate change resiliency projects and renewable energy programs.  Thirty percent (30%) is slated to be returned to businesses based on FTEs.  Forty percent (40%) would be returned to Rhode Island residents over the age of 18 either through a tax credit or a dividend.  Heads of households would receive an extra “bump” for every dependent under the age of 18.  Up to two percent (2%) would go to administrative costs. 
 
If passed, Rhode Island would be the first state in the country to have this legislation on the books.  The Chamber opposes S.2188.
 
Thursday, March 29th
 
The House Finance Committee will meet around 4:30 p.m. in Room 101.  H.7427 (sponsored by Reps. Donovan, Ruggiero, Ranglin-Vassell, Shekarchi and Blazejewski), the companion bill to S.2475 (see explanation above) will be heard; as will H.7544 (Blazejewski, Maldonado, Winfield, Casimiro and McEntee) which allows employees to qualify for 6 weeks of TDI benefits to care for ill siblings, foster siblings, step-siblings or grandchildren.  H.7893 (by Reps. Williams, Morin, Vella-Wilkinson, Walsh and Hull) allows employees, who believe they are owed wages, to place a lien on the owner’s property by first personally serving a written notice to the employer stating the facts surrounding the owing of wages and a description of the property on which a lien might be placed.  If the owner fails to dispute the lien by filing a complaint in the appropriate court within 30 days of receiving the notice, then the employee can record the lien.  The Chamber opposes all of these bills.
 
 
The following bills were filed last week:
 
Senate Bill No. 2657
BY  Morgan, Paolino, Raptakis, Gee, Lombardo
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION - BUSINESS CORPORATION TAX (Provides that corporations with less than fifty (50) employees shall not be subject to the four hundred dollar ($400) minimum corporate tax.)
 
Senate Bill No. 2708
BY  Morgan, Paolino, Raptakis, Cote
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS (Requires most employers in Rhode Island to participate in the E/Verify employment authorization program and establishes deadlines to do so.)
 

​BankFive announced today that veteran SouthCoast banker Jimmy Sousa Costa has been hired as First Vice President-Retail.
 
Costa has 29 years of banking experience in a variety of positions. Prior to joining BankFive, he was Vice President at Santander Bank, serving in roles ranging from District Executive to Area Manager to Branch Manager.
 
In his new position at BankFive, Costa is responsible for managing the strategic direction of the Retail Banking division and is accountable for its growth and profitability. Other responsibilities include developing the bank’s sales and service training and career development programs.  In addition, he will manage staffing levels for each branch and continuously seek opportunities to improve customer service and satisfaction.
 
Costa who resides in Dartmouth, MA, with his wife and three children, received a bachelor’s degree in Portuguese language and literature from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He obtained a certificate in Portuguese history and culture from the University of Lisbon, and is certified to teach Portuguese in Massachusetts.
 
He is Vice President of Friends of St. John the Baptist Church. He is past Vice President of Portuguese United for Education, and was involved with St. Vincent DePaul Society/Junior Achievement.

 
What we hope will not become a reoccurring theme in UTD is a cancellation due to snow storms; but the possibility remains in the upcoming week.  Last Tuesday all hearings were again postponed thanks to Mother Nature.  However, the Wednesday Senate Labor Committee minimum wage hearing changed the quiet halls into an active scene.  Business groups – including the Chamber – testified against the bills siting increased costs and the added difficulties associated with compensating those workers who already make over minimum wage today.  RI Working Families argued that employees should be able to raise a family by working one job and later took to Facebook by referring to the Chambers, as well as a respected business owner who testified against the bills, as “clowns” and posted a video of Krusty the Clown from the Simpsons. 
 
The Chamber also testified against H.7827 (Reps. Handy, Regunberg, McKiernan Barros and Williams) which creates what is called the Rhode Island Global Warming Solutions Act.  While this bill was featured last week in UTD, what was not said is that the bill would require 5% of all cars sold in RI to be electric vehicles by 2025, 40% by 2035 and 95% by 2050.  All buildings – residential and commercial would have to switch to electric heat:  10% by 2025, all new buildings after 2035 and 100% of all buildings by 2050.  If the government failed to reach those targets, ay person could sue to enforce the law.  The latest federal Energy Information Agency shows that Rhode Islanders have the 5th highest electric rates in the country.  The RI Environmental Coalition is pushing the bill, led by the Conservation Law Foundation.
 
Lastly, the hearing on the plastic bag bill, H.7851, was postponed at the sponsor’s request.  It will be rescheduled in the future.
 
 
What’s Going On This Week
 
On Tuesday, March 20th, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hear S.2529 (Senators Euer, Goldin, Sosnowski, Coyne, and Seveney).  If passed, all insurance plans, starting January 1, 2019, would be required to cover contraceptive drugs and devices.  Curiously, plans must also cover voluntary sterilization procedures except male sterilization coverage under high deductible plans.  No co-pays, deductibles, or cost sharing provisions may be charged by the insurance carrier/provider to the patient.  The cost impact of the potential new mandate is unknown at this time.
 
Wednesday, March 21st promises to be a very busy day.  The House Finance Committee will be taking testimony on Governor Raimondo’s proposal to pass yet another 25-cent per pack increase in the cigarette tax.  This follows a 50-cent increase implemented in last year’s budget.  Today, Rhode Islander’s pay $4.25 in tax for each pack of cigarettes purchased.  For convenience store operators, cigarettes are the second highest selling item inside the store walls – second to lottery tickets. 
 
The Senate Labor Committee will take testimony on two bills Wednesday.  S.2475 (Senators Goldin, Goodwin, Ruggerio, Lynch Prata, and McCaffrey) requires employers to pay employees at the same wage rate if they have the similar skills, efforts, responsibilities, and work in similar working conditions.  A wage differential is allowed if: (1) a seniority system exists (although pregnancy leave, medical leave and family leave can’t affect the seniority calculation); (2) a merit system has been adopted; (3) a system exists that measures quantity output – and the business can prove it is a fair calculation; or (4) some other system that the business can prove is based on necessity and that the system is not based on gender or race.  If an employer is deemed to be in violation of this act, the employer can not cure the situation by lowering the wages of other employees.  If an applicant requests a copy of the wage ranges for all comparable jobs in the company prior to the employer asking the applicant about wage expectations, that request must be honored; and every employee has the right to ask for the company’s current wage range comparisons annually.  Finally, any employee that successfully challenges his/her wages is entitled to unpaid back wages, benefits, other compensatory damages and liquidated damages equal to three times the unpaid wages and benefits owed.  The Chamber opposes S.2475.
 
S.2638 (Senators Goodwin and Goldin) requires businesses with 100 or more employees to file an annual report with the Department of Labor.  The report must contain information regarding the compensation and hours worked by employees broken down by gender, race, ethnicity, and job category.  Should an employer fail to submit the report, the Department can file and action in court to compel the company to comply.  The Chamber opposes S.2638.
 
The Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture will take testimony on S.2188 (Senators Calkin, Miller, Sosnowski, Coyne, and Seveney).  This bill creates the “Energize Rhode Island” program.  The costs associated with S.2188 would place high financial burdens on businesses that rely on carbon based fuel for transport, heat, or electricity.  The bill imposes a $15 per ton carbon tax on all fossil fuels that escalates $5 per ton every year thereafter until the rate equals $50 per ton.  Once the $50 per ton rate is reached, the tax would raise annually according to the rate of inflation. The implementation trigger date is dependent upon passage of a carbon fee of at least $5 per metric ton in Massachusetts and one other New England state.  Electric companies would pay the tax on behalf of their customers which would then be passed along to the consumer.  The goal is to eliminate the use of fossil fuels.  The taxes collected are placed into the Energize Rhode Island Fund.  Twenty-eight (28%) would be used to fund climate change resiliency projects and renewable energy programs.  Thirty percent (30%) is slated to be returned to businesses based on FTEs.  Forty percent (40%) would be returned to Rhode Island residents over the age of 18 either through a tax credit or a dividend.  Heads of households would receive an extra “bump” for every dependent under the age of 18.  Up to two percent (2%) would go to administrative costs. 
  
Thursday, March 22nd will find the House Labor Committee taking up a number of bills of interest to the business community.  H.7024 (Reps. O'Brien, Marshall, Corvese, McNamara, and Slater) makes it unlawful to subject an employee to an abusive work environment.  An employer will be vicariously liable for the abuse to an employee unless the employer can prove “the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and to promptly correct any actionable behavior” or that the abused employee failed to take advantage of opportunities provided by the employer.  A private right of action is the sole remedy for the complaint.  H.7115 (Reps. Ranglin-Vassell, Regunberg, Ajello, Donovan, and Perez), H.7116 (Reps. Perez, Vella-Wilkinson, Hull, and McKiernan) and H.7242 (Reps. Vella-Wilkinson, Lombardi, Casimiro, Hull, and Jacquard) all prohibit an employer from requesting salary history or benefits information -whether orally or in writing – from job applicants.  These bills are meant to combat wage inequality.  H.7427 (Reps. Donovan, Ruggiero, Ranglin-Vassell, Shekarchi, and Blazejewski) is the same bill as S.2475 (see Senate Labor Committee above).
 
 
The following bills were filed last week:
 
House Bill No. 7970
BY  Tobon, Cunha, Edwards, Maldonado, Marshall
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RHODE ISLAND REAL ESTATE TIME-SHARE ACT (Amends several processes relative to the termination of a time-share agreement and the division of the ownership interests thereto.)
 
House Resolution No. 7975
BY  Marszalkowski, Morin, Tobon, O`Grady, Newberry
ENTITLED, HOUSE RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENCOURAGE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHIN BLACKSTONE VALLEY (Creates an 18 member commission to study and provide recommendations to encourage economic development within the Blackstone Valley, and who would report back to the House of Representatives by February 5, 2019, and would expire on May 5, 2019.)
 
Senate Bill No. 2638
BY  Goodwin, Goldin
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS - EQUAL PAY DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING (Requires an employer of 100 or more employees to annually report information regarding the compensation and hours worked of employees by gender, race, ethnicity, and job category to the department of labor and training.)

Close your eyes and imagine yourself as a fragile 10 year old being pulled out of the only home you have ever known one evening right after dinner by a stranger who says they work for children. This stranger tells you to quickly put some of your belongings in a black trash bag because you can't stay at your home. After you fill your bag this stranger transports you to another home with more people who are strangers.
 
When this happens to a child they feel lost, frightened and worthless. A child more often than not feels like they are nothing more than trash just like their belongings stuffed in that black trash bag.  No child should ever feel this way.
 
A local non-profit organization, Bags of Hope, has a mission to bring dignity to each child in the foster care system by providing each child with an embroidered duffle bag complete with age appropriate comfort items.  The organization sells ornaments with each child's name and age on it. The monies raised from these ornaments go towards a beautiful duffle bag for a child.  It is the goal of Bags of Hope to provide every child in foster care with duffle bags.
 
 This year some members/businesses of the East Bay Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Stone Coast Community Church set out to help support the Bags of Hope mission and sold ornaments locally. Thank you to Beth Carter of Beth Carter Enterprises, Cidalia Rodriguez of Bank Newport, Danielle DeLuca Thompson of Re/Max Professionals, Robert Casale of Personal Security Consultants Inc., Stephanie Borden of One and Done Concierge and Tim Pray of TAP Printing.
 
Thanks to YOUR support, Bags of Hope hit their goal of making sure that EVERY foster care child in the state of RI & MA had a duffle bag. Please contact Danielle DeLuca Thompson on the Business & Community Engagement Committee at [email protected] ​

​Last Week – Rallies, Snow and Testimonies
 
Last week at the statehouse over one thousand people showed up on a Tuesday afternoon to support the right to own guns. Proponents of new gun restriction laws also were in the building; but what this author finds refreshing is that everyone was respectful.  Individuals exercised their right to petition the government with dignity.  Wednesday the state house closed due to weather forcing the Senate Labor Committee minimum wage hearing to be cancelled and rescheduled for Wednesday, March 14th in Room 212 At the Rise (approximately 4:30 pm).  Thursday the Chamber testified against a mandate to provide 13 weeks of unpaid pregnancy leave to part time workers (benefit is available day one of hire); against a bill that requires businesses to give 40 hours of leave to pick up a child at school necessitated by an emergency, illness, or behavioral problem; and in favor of legislation to allow seasonal businesses (open less than 20 weeks a year) to treat seasonal employees similar to contract employees by providing a start and finish date and thus make them ineligible for unemployment benefits at the end of the season.
 
 
What’s Going On This Week
 
While the Senate Labor Committee takes up minimum wage bills on Wednesday, the House Labor Committee will take testimony on the same bills Thursday, in Room 101, At the Rise.   H.7199 (Reps. Bennett, Craven, Ranglin-Vassell, Knight and Regunberg) raises the minimum wage to $11 on January 1, 2019.  H.7397 (Reps. Walsh, Lombardi, Ranglin-Vassell, Hull and Maldonado) raises the tipped wage fifty cents per year until the tipped wage equals the state’s regular minimum wage.  H.7636 (Reps. Ranglin-Vassell, Regunberg, Ajello, Hull and Bennett) incrementally raises the minimum wage to $15 by January 1, 2026.  H.
 
The House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will meet Thursday in Room 203 At the Rise.  H.7827 (Reps. Handy, Regunberg, McKiernan Barros and Williams) creates what is called the Rhode Island Global Warming Solutions Act.  Its stated purpose is to “create a fair, workable, cost-effective, legally enforceable, system by which Rhode Island will be able to reduce its economy-wide carbon emissions by at least eighty percent (80%) below 1990 levels by 2050.  It achieves this goal by directing the Commissioner of the Office of Energy Resources to adopt, within one year of the effective date, “mandatory and enforceable regulations that the commissioner believes are reasonably necessary to achieve” the emissions requirement for electricity generators and indirect electricity users.  The Commissioner must consult with other agencies to develop the regulations.  The Department of Transportation is charged with performing the same task for the transportation emissions that come from personal vehicles, trucks, etc.  The Director must meet the 80% emissions reduction regardless of the expense, science or mandates that might be necessary.  This is truly the most difficult piece of the legislation in that it would, in reality, require Rhode Islanders to reduce driving or purchase electric vehicles (although a large majority of Rhode Island electricity is generated by natural gas).  H.7827 also includes the same requirement for building codes, with regulations to be drafted by the state building commissioner.  Should any Commissioner or Director fail to enact regulations that achieve the reductions in emissions, any individual could bring an action in Providence Superior Court to force the regulations – no matter how costly – to be promulgated.
 
H.7851 (Reps. McEntee, Handy, Regunberg, Fogarty and Tanzi) bans large retailers – defined as those with annual retail gross sales volumes of $5 million or more – from providing plastic bags to customers effective January 1, 2021.  Retailers can charge customers up to 25 cents per paper bag unless that customer is a SNAP or EBT card holder at which time no fee may be charged.  In addition, no retail establish, large or small, could provide polystyrene disposable food containers at point of sale starting January 1, 2021.
 
 
 
The following bills were filed last week:
 
House Bill No. 7832
BY  Maldonado, Tanzi, Barros, Diaz, Ajello
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION - SUGARY DRINKS (Creates a tax on sugary drinks for the purpose of reducing the demand for those beverages, and discouraging the excessive consumption of, sugary drinks.)
 
House Bill No. 7847
BY  Phillips, Morin, Casey, Solomon, Ucci
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS - PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (Repeals the monthly surcharge and prepaid wireless E-911 charge and replaces them with a budget appropriation by the general assembly to fund the E-911 system.)
 
House Bill No. 7849
BY  Solomon, McKiernan, Shekarchi, Casey, Morin
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - ESTABLISHING A SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FUND (Establishes a small business development fund to encourage formation of private capital investment by federally-licensed investment companies.)
 
House Bill No. 7851
BY  McEntee, Handy, Regunberg, Fogarty, Tanzi
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION ACT (Prohibits large retail establishments from providing plastic checkout bags/all retail establishments providing polystyrene food containers with enforcement by municipalities with opt out election effective January 1, 2021.)
House Bill No. 7868
BY  Tanzi, Regunberg, Maldonado
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- HEALTHY BEVERAGE ACT (Creates the "Healthy Beverage Act" and requires children's meals provided by restaurants include certain healthy beverage options if the beverage comes with the meal.)
 
House Bill No. 7887
BY  Barros, Shanley, Maldonado, Kazarian, Blazejewski
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - THE PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP BOTTLE RECYCLING ACT (Creates a beverage container recycling program using redemption centers which includes the use of automated devices to accept containers for recycling.)
 
House Bill No. 7893
BY  Williams, Morin, Vella-Wilkinson, Walsh, Hull
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS - PAYMENT OF WAGES (Enables employees to file a lien against their employers personal or real property for unpaid wages.)
 
House Bill No. 7899
BY  Slater
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE EDWARD O. HAWKINS AND THOMAS C. SLATER MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT (Prohibits employers from refusing to hire/discharge/discriminate against medical marijuana users testing positive for marijuana use.)
 
House Bill No. 7900
BY  Slater, Diaz, Handy, Blazejewski, Maldonado
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE HOME ENERGY RATE AFFORDABILITY ACT (Creates the Home Energy Rate Affordability Program to ensure that utility rates are affordable for low-income households.)
 
House Bill No. 7937
BY  Phillips, Newberry, Shanley, Barros, Johnston
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO SALES AND USE TAXES - ENFORCEMENT AND COLLECTION (Eliminates the ten dollar ($10.00) fee requirement for the sales tax permit.)

With phase two of the legislative session, comes numerous hearings on the bills that have been proposed thus far.  To date, 918 House bills and 621 Senate bills have been filed.  The following key bills are scheduled to be heard this week:
 
 
It’s Minimum Wage day in the Senate Labor Committee, Wednesday, March 7th in Room 212 At the Rise.  S.2244, An Act Relating to Labor (by Senators Calkin, Felag, Quezada, Goldin and Goodwin) increases the hourly minimum wage in increments from $9.60 to $15.00 by January 1, 2022, as well as increases the hourly minimum wage for employees receiving gratuities from $3.89 an hour to $15.00 an hour by January 1, 2026.  S.2246, An Act Relating to Labor (by Senators Raptakis, Morgan, Ciccone, Cote and Lombardo) increases the hourly minimum wage in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region for the four (4) previous fiscal years, effective January 1, 2020.  S.2247, An Act Relating to Labor (by Senators Lynch Prata, Quezada, Crowley, Metts and Goodwin) increases the minimum wage to $11.00 per hour, commencing January 1, 2019, and to $12.00 per hour, commencing January 1, 2020.  S.2476, An Act Relating to Labor (by Senators Goldin and Calkin) incrementally increases the tipped wage from the $3.89 per hour to $9.00 per hour by January 1, 2022. Starting January 1, 2023, the minimum hourly wage for tipped workers would be equal to the state's regular minimum hourly wage. S.2478 An Act Relating to Labor (by Senators Satchell, Miller, Goldin, Nesselbush and Gallo) increases the minimum hourly wage for employees of employers who provide services to 5 or more persons with developmental disabilities.  The Chamber opposes these bills.
 
 
Article 4, Section 5 of the Governor’s budget will be heard in the House Finance Committee, Thursday, March 8th in Room 35 at the Rise (around 4:30pm).  This Article imposes the Rhode Island sales tax on pre-written computer software, as well as on investigation services, armored car services, and security guard services.
 
The House Labor Committee will be busy Thursday, March 8th in Room 101 At the Rise.  The following 4 bills, in addition to others, will be heard at that time:
 
H.7169, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations, (by Reps Perez, McKiernan, Hull, Almeida, Lombardi) extends the state’s Family Medical Leave Act to part-time employees, irrespective of the number of hours they worked for the employer, or the company’s size.  Part-time employees would be entitled to 13 weeks of unpaid leave over the course of a two-year period.  Ironically, this bill would give more benefits to a part time employee than to a full time employee who has not yet worked 12 months for the same employer.  The Chamber opposes H.7169.
 
H.7429, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations (by Reps Carson, Donovan, Morin, Ranglin-Vassell, and Walsh) requires employers to allow employees to take off up to 40 hours a year (through the use of vacation, personal time, or compensatory time – or if none, then unpaid leave) to address a “child care provider or school emergency” for a child in daycare through grade 12.  An emergency is defined as a call from the school or day care provider requesting that the child be picked up; behavioral or discipline problems; unexpected closure of the school or center; or a natural disaster.
 
H.7365, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Seasonal Employment (by Reps Hearn, Canario, and Lombardi) allows seasonal businesses - operating less than 20 weeks in a year due to climatic conditions or the nature of the business – to apply to the Department of Labor and Training for seasonal designation.  If granted, the business could notify employees at the time of hiring that they are seasonal employees, hired for a specific timeframe; and that when the timeframe is complete, those employees would not be eligible to collect unemployment benefits.  Benefits would be given to employee laid off during the seasonal period.  The Chamber supports H.7365.
 
H.7905, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations (by Rep Craven).  H.7905 allows for employers, in workers' compensation actions, to shift the legal burden to employees to prove they were not intoxicated at the time of injury or death, after a showing that the employee had a positive test for intoxicating substances. 
 
 
The Senate Commerce Committee will be meeting Thursday, March 8th At the Rise in Room 212.  Two bills of interest S.2334, An Act Relating to State Affairs and Government (by Senators Ciccone, Jabour, Miller, Archambault and Goldin) and S.2336 An Act Relating to State Affairs and Government (by Senators Crowley, Jabour, Nesselbush, Metts and Quezada) will be heard at that time. 
 
S.2334 creates “The Percentage of Income Energy Cost Payment Plan” program.  Households with incomes at or below 150% of federal poverty guidelines that are receiving LIHEAP heating oil assistance funds, will be eligible to participate in a 3 year pilot program up to a maximum of 30,000 households.  The RI Office of Energy Resources would establish a maximum energy usage limit based on household size.  Participants would be required to pay 4% of their annual gross household income for the cost of heating, 2% for non-heat electric costs and $10 for any outstanding arrearages or bills for gas, electric or heating oil outstanding as of November 1, 2018.  A restricted receipt account would be established in order to pay for the remainder of the heat and electricity costs for the pilot program participants.  The program would be funded through a 1% surcharge on “all wholesale oil prices.”  It is unclear if this means a 1% surcharge on wholesale heating oil or all oil products.  National Grid would also be required to transfer $2 million dollars a year from the National Grid Settlement Funds to the restricted receipt account.  Federal LIHEAP monies would be deposited in the new program account; and an “equalized gross receipt tax” would be paid by natural gas and electric customers – the rate to be set by the general assembly annually. The Chamber opposes S.2334.
 
S.2336 establishes a similar program, called the “home energy rate affordability program,” although it creates more tiers of eligible recipients based on household income.  This program would be funded by “non-bypassable monthly charges” on electric service customers ($1.55 residential customers; $1.55 commercial and industrial customers averaging less than 10kw; $14.15 for commercial and industrial customers averaging 10kw to 200kw; $271.75 for commercial and industrial customers averaging greater than 200kw).  A “non-bypassable monthly charge” would also be placed on natural gas customers ($1.55 for residential customers; $1.55 for commercial and industrial customers averaging less than 500,000 cu.ft. per year; $14.15 for commercial and industrial customers averaging between 500,000 and 3.5 million cu. ft. per year; $271.75 for commercial and industrial customers averaging more than 3.5 million cu. ft. per year).  The Chamber opposes S.2336.
 
 
 
The following bills were filed last week:
 
House Bill No. 7780
BY  Donovan, Amore, Carson, Kazarian, Blazejewski
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- HOME HEATING OIL SALES (Provides that a home heating oil dealer subject to delivery contract shall provide oil within 24 hours or waive penalty.)
 
House Bill No. 7790
(Department of Business Regulation)
BY  Kennedy, O`Grady, Edwards, Marshall, Ucci
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- HAWKERS AND PEDDLERS (Provides for the consolidation of food truck registration within the department of business regulation to streamline the registration process and reduce the burden on small businesses.)
 
House Bill No. 7798
BY  Williams, Lombardi, Hull, Blazejewski, Vella-Wilkinson
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- PAYMENT OF WAGES (Requires the director of the department of labor and training to establish a list, on the department's website, of all employers that owe their employees' wages.)
 
House Bill No. 7799
BY  Regunberg, Williams, O`Grady, Amore, Handy
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND TRAINING (Provides an opportunity for employees affected by plant closings or mass layoffs to furnish competitive bids to purchase businesses otherwise at risk of reducing workforce.)
 
House Bill No. 7800
BY  Craven
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- PAYMENT OF WAGES (Provides the method by which records are to be furnished relative to an employee's statement of earnings.)
 
House Bill No. 7806
(Governor)
BY  Diaz, Slater, Blazejewski, Johnston, Maldonado
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE - INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE (Includes behavioral health counseling visits and medication maintenance visits as primary care visits for patient cost-sharing requirements under the provisions of a health plan.)
 
House Bill No. 7824
BY  Handy, Ruggiero, Carson, Tanzi, Fogarty
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION -- THE RIVERS AND COASTAL ADAPTATION FUND (Establishes Rhode Island rivers/coastal adaptation fund; enables cities, towns and state to apply for grants to fund projects that invest in measures to address the impacts of climate change. Trust to be funded by fees on barrels of petroleum products.)
 
House Bill No. 7827
BY  Handy, Regunberg, McKiernan, Barros, Williams
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS ACT (Establishes the Rhode Island global warming solutions act to reduce carbon emissions across various sectors of the local economy.)
 
Senate Bill No. 2525
BY  Raptakis, Ciccone, Cote, Sheehan, Picard
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- STATE TAX OFFICIALS (Places twelve percent (12%) per annum interest rate on delinquent tax payments for business corporation, sales and use, estate and personal income taxes.)
 
Senate Bill No. 2589
BY  Lombardi, Nesselbush, Lynch Prata, Ciccone, Conley
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS - FOOD DONATIONS (Provides immunity to persons donating food to food banks.)
 
Senate Bill No. 2593
BY  Lombardi, McCaffrey, Lynch Prata, Jabour, Nesselbush
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKERS' COMPENSATION -- BENEFITS (Allows for employers, in workers' compensation actions, to shift the legal burden to employees to prove they were not intoxicated at the time of injury or death, after a showing that the employee had a positive test for intoxicating substances.)
 
Senate Bill No. 2597
BY  Fogarty, Nesselbush, Ciccone
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- PAYMENT OF WAGES (Provides the method by which records are to be furnished relative to an employee's statement of earnings.)
 
Senate Bill No. 2602
BY  Lombardi, McCaffrey, Jabour, Nesselbush, Conley
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS - WORKERS' COMPENSATION - GENERAL PROVISIONS (Requires notice of claims of common law right to be given to an employer and the employer's workers' compensation insurance carrier and clarifies liability of employers and their insurers for workers' compensation claims.)