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What is in the Governor’s Budget? In the coming editions of Advocacy in Action, we will highlight and summarize key articles of interest to the business community.
Article 2 – Relating to State Funds https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7127.pdf Article 2 provides for changes to certain state funding accounts. Section 1 – Uninsured Protection Fund
Section 2 – RIPTA / Highway Maintenance Account
Article 4 – Relating to Debt Management https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/Article-004.pdf Article 4 authorizes new non-general obligation debt for three higher education projects. Section 2 – Rhode Island College – Residential Life Renovations – Auxiliary Enterprise
Section 3 – University of Rhode Island – Repaving and Hardscape Improvements
Section 4 – University of Rhode Island – Automotive and Administrative Services
Article 7 – Relative to Education https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/Article-007.pdf Article 7 revises policies and funding relative to school construction, the education funding formula, and the Hope Scholarship at Rhode Island College. Sections 1 & 3 – School Housing Aid
Section 2 – Education Aid Student Success Factor
Sections 4 & 5 – Hope Scholarship
Section 6 – School Building Authority Capital Fund
This Week at the State House Tuesday, February 3rd Prohibiting Credit Card Surcharges The House Corporations Committee has on its agenda for Tuesday at the Rise (approximately 4:30pm) in the House Lounge, behind the House Chamber on the Second Floor, H 7409 (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7409.pdf) which would make it a deceptive trade practice for any retail establishment to impose a surcharge fee on a customer for the use of a credit card. Testimony should be emailed to [email protected]. Thursday, February 5th At the Rise on Thursday in Room 135, the House Labor Committee will hear various bills impacting employers. Testimony on the bills below should be emailed to [email protected]. Workplace Bullying H 7121 (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7121.pdf) would prohibit any type of psychological abuse in the workplace inflicted by an employer, upon an employee or by a co-employee upon an employee, that results in the violation of an employee's right to a physically and psychologically safe work environment. It would also provide an employee, subject to bullying, psychological abuse, psychological injury and/or physical injury, with protections in the workplace and civil remedies against perpetrators of any prohibited activity. This act would further assess civil penalties upon employers violating the act, based upon the gross amount of revenues earned by employers, in addition to civil liability for damages sustained by the employee, as well as civil and criminal liability for any such conduct of a co-employee. Inspection of Personnel Files H 7442 (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7442.pdf) would greatly expand the obligations of employers to create, maintain and retain their employees’ personnel records, including retention for at least three years after termination, and doubles penalties for each violation to $3,000. Restricting Self Service Checkouts H 7290 (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7290.pdf) would limit grocery stores by capping the number of self-service checkout stations they can operate and mandating a minimum ratio of manual checkout stations to self-service checkout stations. Further, it limits the workload and additional duties an employer can assign to an employee that monitors self-service checkout stations. 32 Hour Work Week H 7362 (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7362.pdf) would reduce the workweek to 32 hours without reduction in pay from a 40 hour week, and require that work in excess of 32 hours in any workweek to qualify for overtime pay. H 7367 (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7367.pdf) would create a nine member study commission to evaluate reducing the 40 hour workweek to 32 hours. Warehouse Worker Standards H 7364 (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7364.pdf) would require employers to provide warehouse distribution center workers upon hire a written description of employee quotas applicable to their work, including any quantified number of takss to be performed on materials to be produced or handled, within defined time periods, and any adverse action that could result from failure to meet such quotas. The following new bills have been filed Senate Bill No. 2342 BY Lawson, LaMountain, Bissaillon ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- RESTRICTIONS ON SELF-SERVICE CHECKOUT STATIONS ACT (Places limits on the number of self-service checkout stations a grocery store can have and on the workload of employees assigned to monitor those checkout stations.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2342.pdf Senate Bill No. 2343 BY Paolino, Dimitri, Rogers, Patalano, Thompson, Pearson, DiPalma, Ujifusa, Burke, Gu ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY FAIRNESS IN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES (Expands the duties of the small business ombudsman, by also having the ombudsman serve as the Rhode Island commerce corporation's small business advocate.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2343.pdf Senate Bill No. 2344 BY Felag, Burke, Tikoian, Murray, Lauria, Vargas, DiMario ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- INTERCHANGE FEES (Prohibits the charging of interchange fees on taxes and gratuities.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2344.pdf Senate Bill No. 2346 BY DiPalma, Tikoian, Ciccone, Britto, Gallo, Urso ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND COMMERCE CORPORATION (Establishes property, tangible, sales and use tax exemptions as incentives for the location of qualified data centers in Rhode Island.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2346.pdf Senate Resolution No. 2354 BY DiMario, Britto, Zurier, Euer, Vargas, Lauria, Ujifusa, Mack, Bell, Valverde ENTITLED, SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE RHODE ISLAND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION TO TERMINATE GAS LINE EXTENSION ALLOWANCES AS PART OF DOCKET 25-45-GE https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2354.pdf Senate Bill No. 2361 BY Mack, Acosta, DiMario, Murray, Lauria ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- WEALTH TAX (Imposes a wealth tax on Rhode Island individuals and entities at a rate of one percent (1%) of worldwide wealth.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2361.pdf Senate Bill No. 2370 BY Thompson, Famiglietti, Patalano, Burke, Dimitri, Quezada, Pearson, Tikoian ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- RHODE ISLAND TAX AMNESTY ACT OF 2017 (Authorizes the tax administrator to waive interest and penalties on delinquent taxes paid in full during a one week amnesty period. Also reinstates a suspended driver’s license upon payment in full.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2370.pdf Senate Bill No. 2372 BY Felag, Urso, Burke, LaMountain, DiPalma, Ciccone, Tikoian ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES -- LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION (Eliminates the sales tax on taxi services and pet care services.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2372.pdf Senate Bill No. 2390 BY Patalano, Ciccone, Tikoian, Famiglietti, Appollonio, Thompson, Raptakis, Burke, Dimitri, LaMountain ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- GIFT CARD FRAUD (Makes offenses against gift card holders subject to the penalties for larceny.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2390.pdf Senate Bill No. 2396 BY McKenney, Burke, LaMountain, Appollonio, Bissaillon ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE IN PARTICULAR ACTIONS -- ARBITRATION (Extends time for a party to apply for stay of arbitration to180 days; invalidates any provision that penalizes a party for seeking legal representation; requires arbitrator to provide notice of default to a party for failure to pay fees.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2396.pdf Senate Bill No. 2406 BY Lawson, DiPalma, Murray, LaMountain, Gallo ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- AGE-APPROPRIATE DESIGN CODE (Requires that any covered entity that develops/provides online services, products, or features that children are reasonably likely to access shall consider the best interest of children when designing/developing such online service, product, or feature.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2406.pdf Senate Bill No. 2408 BY Mack, Valverde, Vargas, Quezada ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES (Commencing January 1, 2027, this act would increase the minimum wage for employees receiving gratuities, from the current three dollars and eighty-nine cents ($3.89) to six dollars and seventy-five cents ($6.75) per hour.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2408.pdf House Bill No. 7440 BY Furtado, Kislak, Bennett, Casimiro, Kazarian, Donovan, Alzate, O'Brien, Stewart, Messier ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- EMPLOYMENT SECURITY -- BENEFITS (Allows unemployment benefits for workers who are on strike or are locked out of their workplaces by their employer due to a labor dispute.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7440.pdf House Bill No. 7449 BY Paplauskas, Nardone, Fascia, Place, Newberry, Chippendale, Roberts, Brien, Santucci, HopkinsnENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY FAIRNESS IN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES-ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENTS (Requires agencies preparing economic impact statements for small businesses contain findings that the anticipated compliance costs of a proposed rule scale proportionally with the business size, and do not impose fixed costs that favor larger businesses.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7449.pdf House Bill No. 7467 BY McEntee, Spears, Phillips, Casey, Shallcross Smith, Fogarty, Craven, Kennedy, Azzinaro, Cotter ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT (Removes the requirement that 5% of the hotel tax generated from regional tourism districts be paid to the Greater Providence-Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, and adds that 5% of the hotel tax to the existing tax paid to the RI commerce corporation. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7467.pdf
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This Week at the State House
Tuesday, January 27th Credit Card Fee Notification This Week at the State House Tuesday, January 27th Credit Card Fee Notification The House Corporations Committee has on its agenda for Tuesday at the Rise (approximately 4:30pm) in the Room 101, two bills of interest. H.7022 http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7022.pdf requires any business that charges a fee to customers for the use of a credit card to post in a conspicuous place the amount of the surcharge. Failure to disclose the surcharge is a violation of the Unfair Trade Practice Act. The law, if passed, would take effect January 1, 2027. Sales to Persons Over 65 H.7266 http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7266.pdf pertains to businesses that sell good or services to individuals over the age of 65. If the business offers customers a discount for utilizing ACH or EFT payment methods, the same discount must be offered to individuals over 65 who pay by a paper check. This act would take effect upon passage. Testimony for either H.7022 or H.7266 should be emailed to [email protected] Thursday, January 29th Interest on Judgments The House Judiciary Committee has on its agenda for Thursday at the Rise in the House Lounge (behind the House chamber on the second floor) H.7033 http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7033.pdf . H.7033 changes the amount of interest assessed on a civil judgments – pre judgment and post judgement - from 12% to a rate equal to the coupon issue yield equivalent, as determined by the United States secretary of the treasury, of the average accepted auction price for the last auction of fifty-two (52) week United States treasury bills settled immediately preceding the date of the filing of the action. This act would take effect upon passage. Testimony should be emailed to [email protected] What is in the Governor’s Budget? Article 6 – Capital Development Program https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/Article-006.pdf proposes $600 million in new bonding authority if approved by the voters. This amount is significantly higher than previous budget years which saw bonding requests totaling $300 million to $400 million. The $600 million request includes the following outlays: · Higher Education Facilities Bond - $215 million o The $215 million is broken down to include: $105 million for the construction of a new Integrated Health Building on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus, $50 million for a Rhode Island College student success and career readiness center and Adams Library, and $60 million for the Community College of RI innovation center. · Housing and Homeownership Bond - $120 million o At least $25 million is dedicated to production of housing intended for homeownership. The remainder of the bond money is slated to be used for affordable and accessible housing through redevelopment of existing structures, new construction, property acquisition, and infrastructure improvements. In November, 2024 voters approved a $120 million housing bond. The state started accepting applications in October, 2025. It is unclear how much of the $120 million has been spent thus far. · Economic Development Bond - $115 million o This bond is broken into two separate funds. The bond calls for $70 million to be used for land acquisition, environmental remediation, utility infrastructure and site preparation for industrial sites. This also includes efforts to create pad-ready sites at the Quonset Business Park and projects within the I-195 district. · Career and Technical Education - $50 million o The $50 million is slated for the creation of new or improvements to existing career and technical education programs. · Green Economy and Clean Energy Bonds - $50 million o There are seven designated purposes for this bond, including: $3 million for Brownsfields remediation, $8 million for facility improvements at state parks, $1 million to serve as an 80% matching grants program for municipalities to acquire or rehabilitate recreations facilities, $1 million for marine infrastructure and recreational facilities, $20 million to be used for resiliency infrastructure, coastal habitat and floodplains, $7 million to address nonpoint source pollution abatement such as stormwater management and riparian buffers, and $10 million for energy efficiency infrastructure. · Cultural Economy - $50 million o The Cultural Economy bond is divided into two portions. $45 million would be used to create a state history center to house archived historical documents. The remaining $5 million would be used as matching grants for capital improvements to public historic sites, museums and cultural art centers. Article 3 – Government Reform and Reorganization https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/Article-003.pdf proposes several changes to government departments, state operations and economic development programs. · Section 1. Governor’s Line Item Veto – If passed, Rhode Island would join 44 other states in giving the Governor the power to veto specific sections of the budget, not just the “budget as a whole.” If vetoed, the specific section could be overridden by a 3/5 majority vote of the both the House and Senate. The last state to pass a line-item veto was the state of Maine in 1995. Massachusetts passed its version in 1918. Connecticut passed it in 1924. Vermont and New Hampshire do not allow their Governors that authority. · Section 2. Management of Unused Paint – This section requires the state’s contractor – PaintCare – to update its plan for review and approval every five years starting December 31, 2026. Current law allows DEM to request an update every four years. · Section 3. Green Buildings Act – The Governor proposes to move the jurisdiction of the program from the Department of Administration to the Office of the State Building Code Commissioner starting July 1, 2026. Any regulations promulgated thus far will remain in effect until the Commissioner promulgates new rules. The Department of Administration must analyze the costs and benefits of LEED certification to determine if it is still a valuable certification process. · Sections 4, 5 and 17. Weatherization Program – Sections 4, 5 and 17 transfer the state’s weatherization efficiency (grants and system upgrade assistance) program from the Department of Human Services to the Office of Energy Resources. Section 17 also designates the Office of Energy Resources as the responsible entity for administering any energy bond referendums passed by the voters. · Sections 6, 7 and 19-23. Big River Reservoir – These sections give the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) authority over lands acquired for the Big River Reservoir project. The 8,600-acre area was purchased in the 1960s as a proposed back up reservoir. Home owners were moved out in anticipation of flooding the area, until EPA stepped in (1990) killing the project and citing irreparable damage to existing wetlands. · Section 8. Rebuild Rhode Island Tax Credit Act – Section 8 increases the aggregate maximum credit, inclusive of sales and use exemptions allowed, from $225 million to $250 million. The Rebuild RI program is slated to expire December 31, 2026. This proposed amendment extends the program for an additional year to December 31, 2027. · Sections 9 through 15 and Section 18 – Economic Development Program Extensions – The following programs are extended for an additional year, ending December 31, 2027: RI Tax Increment Financing, Tax Stabilization Incentive, Wave Closing Fund Act, I-195 Redevelopment Project Fund Act, Stay Invested in RI Wavemaker Fellowship, Main Street RI Streetscape Improvement Fund, and the Innovation Initiative. · Section 16. Rhode Island Energy Resources Act – Section 16 creates an energy benchmarking program for state buildings with a footprint of 25,000 gross square feet or more. Each month, a report would be filed noting the amount of energy used in the building as well as the type of energy utilized. The Office of Energy Resources is charged with compiling the data and setting standards for state buildings that would require a decrease in energy used over time. The intent of the act is to assist the state in meeting its mandates under the Act on Climate. Section 16 includes a voluntary program for municipalities. Last year the legislature considered legislation requiring all buildings, including privately owned buildings, over 25,000 square feet to participate in a similar program. That legislation has been filed again this year (see H.7183 and H.7184 below) and will be the subject of debate at the state house. · Section 18. Rhode Island Qualified Jobs Incentive Act of 2015 – Section 18 extends the RI Qualified Jobs Incentive Act for one year to December 31, 2027. Companies that create new positions or relocate jobs to the state can receive annual, redeemable tax credits for up to 10 years, with credits of up to $7,500 per job per year. The following new bills have been filed: House Bill No. 7172 BY Casimiro, Giraldo, Donovan, Read, Spears, Shallcross Smith, Potter, Hopkins, ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSACTION REVIEW AND SIGNIFICANT EQUITY INVESTOR DISCLOSURE ACT (Creates and establishes the Health Care and Social Services Transaction Review and Significant Equity Investor Disclosure Act designed to enhance disclosure for material changes involving significant equity investors.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7172.pdf House Bill No. 7179 BY Phillips, Brien, Place, Azzinaro, Shanley ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- VEHICLE BARRIERS -- THE CHARLOTTE A. VACCA ACT (Requires commercial property owners to install vehicle barriers at their retail establishment locations as part of any new construction.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7179.pdf House Bill No. 7180 BY Shallcross Smith, Marszalkowski, DeSimone, Kislak, Giraldo, Brien, Cruz, Potter, Fogarty, Read ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW--GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- DIGITAL ELECTRONICS RIGHT TO REPAIR ACT (Establishes a digital electronics right to repair, which allows for digital electronic equipment and parts that are sold in this state on or after January 1, 2027, to be repaired at an independent repair provider.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7180.pdf House Bill No. 7183 BY Kislak, Fogarty, Carson, McGaw, Boylan, Speakman, Cortvriend, Handy, Bennett, Donovan ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- BUILDING BENCHMARKING AND REPORTING ACT OF 2026 (Establishes a program for the energy and water benchmarking of large buildings in Rhode Island and a standard for their energy performance.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7183.pdf House Bill No. 7184 BY Kislak, Handy, Fogarty, Cortvriend, McGaw, Potter ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS ACT OF 2026 (Directs the office of energy resources to develop building performance standards for large buildings in Rhode Island that would cause greenhouse gas emissions to decline in line with the act on climate requirements.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7184.pdf House Bill No. 7290 BY Cotter, Spears, Carson, Donovan, Corvese, Morales, Read, Kislak, Ajello, Potter ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- RESTRICTIONS ON SELF-SERVICE CHECKOUT STATIONS ACT (Places limits on the number of self-service checkout stations a grocery store can have and on the workload of employees assigned to monitor those checkout stations.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7290.pdf House Bill No. 7291 BY Casey, Edwards, Ackerman ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- LABOR RELATIONS ACT (Allows employees, not represented by a union, to create a group to collectively bargain with employers.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7291.pdf House Bill No. 7313 BY Alzate, Fogarty, Potter, Giraldo, Donovan, Spears, Lombardi, Diaz, Cotter, Kazarian ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PERSONAL INCOME TAX (Creates an additional tax rate of 3% on taxable income over $640,000 in 2026 dollars. Applies to tax years 2027 and thereafter and not retroactively.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7313.pdf Senate Bill No. 2195 BY Urso, Gu, DiPalma, Paolino, Zurier, Murray, Appollonio ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW--GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMPANION MODELS (Creates additional safety features for AI companion technology that include addressing suicidal ideation, potential physical harm or financial harm to others expressed by a user. It also requires notification the AI companion does not have human emotions.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2195.pdf Senate Bill No. 2218 BY Kallman, Valverde, Lauria, DiMario, Euer, Vargas, Gu, Mack, Britto ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS ACT OF 2026 (Directs the office of energy resources to develop building performance standards for large buildings in Rhode Island that would cause greenhouse gas emissions to decline in line with the act on climate requirements.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2218.pdf Senate Bill No. 2222 BY Sosnowski, Murray, Euer, McKenney, Kallman, Valverde ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE ACT OF 2026 (Establishes a fee on companies that sell fossil fuels in Rhode Island and establishes a fund to disburse the collected funds.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2222.pdf Senate Bill No. 2238 BY Murray, Lawson, Ciccone, DiMario, Lauria, Bissaillon, Acosta, Gu, McKenney, Burke ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PERSONAL INCOME TAX (Creates an additional tax rate of 3% on taxable income over $640,000 in 2026 dollars. Applies to tax years 2027 and thereafter and not retroactively.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2238.pdf Senate Bill No. 2248 BY Sosnowski, Murray, Zurier, Valverde, Kallman, DiMario, Gu, Ciccone, Pearson, Britto ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- DUTIES OF UTILITIES AND CARRIERS (Creates an income-sensitive tiered subsidy program to ensure that home energy utility costs are affordable for eligible low-income households.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2248.pdf Senate Bill No. 2251 BY Tikoian, Ciccone, Felag, Burke, Dimitri, Famiglietti, Morgan, Paolino, Thompson, DiPalma ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- ESTATE AND TRANSFER TAXES -- LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION (Eliminates the estate tax in Rhode Island.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2251.pdf Senate Bill No. 2320 BY DiPalma, Ciccone, Britto, LaMountain, Felag, Gallo, Patalano, Dimitri, Famiglietti ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- DIVISION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH (Requires employers to protect employees from extreme temperatures through rest breaks, PPE, training, and equipment, and mandates quarterly supervisor training, to recognize and mitigate heat- and cold-related risks.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2320.pdf Senate Bill No. 2323 BY Bissaillon, Lawson, DiPalma, Gallo, Gu, Urso, Zurier, Acosta, Bell, Mack ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- THE COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION BENEFITS ACT (Establishes the commuter transportation benefit chapter. Employers with five hundred (500) or more employees required to establish a pre-tax commuter transportation fringe benefit program.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2323.pdf Senate Bill No. 2324 BY Quezada, Acosta, Kallman, Bissaillon, Valverde, Bell, DiMario, Lauria, Zurier, Vargas ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- CONSUMER CREDIT HISTORY EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION ACT -- DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES (Prohibits employers from seeking/using credit reports in making hiring decisions concerning prospective employees, asking questions about the applicant's financial past during interviews or including credit history questions in their job applications.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2324.pdf Senate Bill No. 2325 BY Thompson, Raptakis, Burke, Ciccone, Britto, Quezada, Murray, Tikoian, McKenney, Gu ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES (Effective January 1, 2028, Increases the hourly minimum wage in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region for the previous four (4) fiscal years.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2325.pdf Governor McKee’s “Affordability for All” Agenda In his 2026 State of the State Address last Tuesday, Governor Dan McKee laid out his vision for the year ahead, which was followed on Thursday by his Fiscal Year 2027 budget Proposal, comprised of H 7126 (FY26 Revisions), H 7127 (FY27 Appropriations). See also the Executive Summary. Facing a $100M+ structure deficit, and with state expenses growing faster (3.5%) than revenues (2.4%), Governor McKee introduced a budget for FY27 of $14.9B, a roughly $500M increase over FY26, that would eliminate state income tax on Social Security benefits, create a child tax credit, lower the gas tax by five percent, and backfill portions of expired Affordable Care Act subsidies, and provides annual utility bill relief averaging $180 per household, among other investments and savings. Most notably, to cover the deficit and pay for new expenditures, the Governor intends to add 3% to the top tax bracket, from 5.99% to 8.99%, for those earning incomes above $1M beginning in 2027. This projects to raise $67.1M in FY27, and $135.5M in FY28. He also calls for the implementation of a Line-Item Veto, which would allow forstriking specific items from the budget bill without having to approve or veto it in the entirety. Over the next few editions of Advocacy in Action, we will share summaries of the various Articles of interest to the business community. Article 5 – Relating to Taxes and Fees Article 5 proposes a variety of tax and fee changes: • Section 1 – Tax Amnesty o Projected to generate $26.3M in FY27, the budget proposes a tax amnesty program to help collect outstanding tax debts prior to 12/31/25 that would waive penalties and reduce interest owed by 25% for participants in the program that would run from December 2026 to February 2027. • Section 2 – Business Corporation Tax o For tax years beginning 1/1/27, any pass-through entities electing to pay the state tax at the entity level would see the rate increase from 5.99% to 8.99%. o Projected to generate $22.6M in FY27 and diminishing amounts thereafter, the budget proposes decoupling the state’s tax code from the federal government regarding changes to the research and development tax provisions. • Sections 3&4 – Cigarette & Cigar Taxes o Projected to raise $8M together, these proposals would: ▪ Raise by 75 cents the cigarette tax, from $4.50 to $5.25 per pack. ▪ Eliminate the 1.25% discount on cigarette tax stamps purchased by distributors. ▪ Increases the cap on the cigar tax from 50 cents to $2.00. • Section 5 – Child Tax Credit o The current dependent tax deduction fails to reach approximately 20,000 filers with dependents who do not make enough to benefit from the exemption. The budget proposes to convert this to a fully refundable tax credit of $325 per child per year, at a projected cost of $14.7M in FY27 and $29.7M in FY28 when fully implemented. • Section 6 – Million Dollar Tax Bracket; Social Security Tax Phase Out o For the 2027 tax year and beyond, the budget proposes a 3% increase to a new top tax bracket, from 5.99% to 8.99%, for income above $1M, which is estimated to generate $67.1M in FY27, and $135.5M in FY28 when fully implemented. o The budget also proposes phasing out the state tax on Social Security, by eliminating the age threshold in 2027, and phasing out the income thresholds over tax years 2028 and 2029. Eliminating the tax in this manner projects to cost $3M in FY27, and reach $60.1M in FY30, the first full fiscal year after the phase-out is fully implemented in tax year 2029. • Section 7 – Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Reimbursement o The budget proposes to eliminate the statutory inflator for Car Tax Reimbursements to communities, freezing it at the current $239.6M, which would result in a state savings of $4.8M in FY27, and grow to $24.9M in FY31. • Section 8 – Newport Cruise Vessel Fees o The budget proposes a $5 increase per passenger, from $10 to $15, on each cruise ship that arrives at or departs from Newport. Newport currently retains the $10 per passenger fee the municipal level, and the additional $5 per passenger fee would be allocated to support This Week at the State House Tuesday, January 20th Safety Barriers The House Corporations Committee has on its agenda for Tuesday at the Rise (approximately 4:30pm) in the House Lounge, behind the House Chamber on the Second Floor, H 7021 which would require commercial property owners to install vehicle barriers at their retail establishments when new construction or renovations are being done and permits insurers to consider the installation to provide a discount on the owner's insurance policy. Testimony should be emailed to [email protected] Sugary Beverages The House Corporations will also conduct a hearing on H 7065, which would require 50% reduction in the amount of added sugars in all liquid beverages sold in Rhode Island on and after January 1, 2030. Testimony should be emailed to [email protected] Mr. Potato Head License Plate The House Special Legislation Committee has on its agenda for Tuesday at the Rise in Room 135 H 7085, which would repeal the authorization for issuing Mr. Potato Head license plates. Under the proposal, no new plates would be issued, and current plates may remain until any lapse, nonrenewal, revocation, destruction or loss occurs. No transfers of plates would be allowed. CHAMBER MEMBER ACTION REQUEST - Preparations for 2026 Session If you attended the January “Eggs and Issues” breakfast with the Speaker of the House, you heard him say loudly and clearly that businesspeople must be engaged with their state Representatives and Senators or face the passage of harmful legislation. Legislators are not experts in your business. They need to hear from you directly in order to understand the challenges you confront on a daily basis. Throughout the legislative session, the Chamber may be calling on you, asking for your assistance conveying our message on legislation to legislators. Please go to https://vote.sos.ri.gov and click on “Find Your Elected Officials.” Enter your zip code and address. Find your “Representative District” legislator and your “Senate District” legislator (if you live in Rhode Island). Email your name and the legislators name to [email protected]. The Chamber will be compiling a database for future grassroots efforts. If you also know a legislator who lives in another district, please send that information to the Chamber as well and we will include it in the database. Thank you for your help! The following new bills have been filed: Senate Bill No. 2075 BY Rogers, Paolino, Morgan, de la Cruz ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (Requires the PUC to produce yearly reports beginning on January 1, 2027 on the ability of the current electric grid to handle electrification loads needed to power cars, buildings, and heating of homes within the state.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2075.pdf Senate Bill No. 2080 BY Rogers, de la Cruz, Morgan ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- 2021 ACT ON CLIMATE (Repeals the 2021 Act on Climate which established a statewide greenhouse gas emission reduction mandate in its entirety.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2080.pdf Senate Bill No. 2082 BY Paolino, Morgan, Rogers, de la Cruz, Appollonio, Famiglietti, Raptakis, Patalano, Dimitri, Sosnowski ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES -- LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION (Phases out the local meals and beverage tax by January 1, 2030.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2082.pdf Senate Bill No. 2085 BY DiMario, Lawson, Gallo, Valverde, Murray, Kallman, Acosta, Vargas, Lauria, Quezada ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- THE RHODE ISLAND WORKS PROGRAM (Eliminates the sunset on the provision of funding, modify eligibility requirement to 85% of state median income and expand funding to at least 20 hours per week.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2085.pdf Senate Bill No. 2092 BY Kallman, Lawson, Urso, Valverde, Zurier, Pearson, Mack, Ujifusa, DiPalma ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES --RIDESHARE OR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANY VEHICLE SURCHARGE (Imposes a seventyfive cent (0.75) surcharge on fares charged by rideshare companies as well as an account to benefit RIPTA from the payment of sales taxes collected from rideshares.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2092.pdf Senate Bill No. 2103 BY de la Cruz, Rogers, Paolino, Morgan ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC FINANCE -- STATE BUDGET (Requires that the governor submit a zero-based budget to the general assembly with the zero-based budget phased in over a five (5) year period, commencing with the fiscal budget year of July 1, 2027.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2103.pdf Senate Bill No. 2110 BY Lauria, Lawson, DiMario, Murray, Valverde, Kallman, Ujifusa, Pearson, Zurier, Urso ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- CATASTROPHIC ILLNESS IN CHILDREN RELIEF FUND (Establishes Children's Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund to provide finance assistance to families for medical expenses not covered by state or federal programs or insurance contract.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2110.pdf Senate Bill No. 2113 BY Lauria, Murray, Kallman, Ujifusa ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- HEALTHY KIDS ACT (Mandates that all restaurants offering children's meals offer at least two (2) children's meals that complies with certain detailed nutritional standards set forth in the act.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2113.pdf Senate Bill No. 2160 BY LaMountain ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- RHODE ISLAND NONCOMPETITION AGREEMENT ACT (Prohibits noncompete agreements except for noncompete agreements between a seller and buyer of a business; creates civil action for an employer for the violation of an agreement by employee regarding disclosure or wrongful utilization of trade secrets.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2160.pdf Senate Bill No. 2166 BY Kallman, Ciccone, Burke, Sosnowski, Euer, Britto, Urso, Thompson, Dimitri ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES--OVERTIME (Requires small employers with one to fifty (1-50) employees and large employers with fifty (50) or more employees to pay overtime wages to exempt workers if their salary exceeds varying multipliers of minimum wage for a forty (40) hour workweek.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2166.pdf Senate Bill No. 2170 BY Bissaillon, LaMountain, Appollonio, McKenney, Bell, Burke, Famiglietti ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- EMPLOYMENT SECURITY -- BENEFITS (Allows unemployment benefits for workers who are on strike or are locked out of their workplaces by their employer due to a labor dispute.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2170.pdf Senate Bill No. 2173 BY Acosta, DiMario, DiPalma, Mack, Lawson, Felag, Quezada, Zurier, Valverde, McKenney ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- CERTIFICATION OF CHILDCARE AND YOUTH-SERVING WORKERS AND OPERATORS (Commencing July 1, 2026, this act eliminates the provision of this section that requires new applicants for employment under this section to pay the expense for their criminal background checks.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2173.pdf Senate Bill No. 2179 BY Paolino, Rogers, Ciccone, Tikoian, Lauria, Murray, de la Cruz, Urso, Patalano, Famiglietti ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- STANDARD AND DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME (Repeals daylight savings time in the state and follow the “United States Standard Eastern Time” as provided by an exemption from the advancement of time as provide by the federal Uniform Time Ac of 1966, 15 U.S.C. § 260(a).) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2179.pdf House Bill No. 7066 BY Azzinaro, Kennedy, Lima, O'Brien ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- CASUALTY INSURANCE GENERALLY -- LIMITATIONS ON POLICY CANCELLATIONS AND RENEWALS (Requires homeowner’s insurance providers to provide two months’ notice before increasing any policy renewal premium more than 20% and a violation constitutes a deceptive trade practice punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7066.pdf House Bill No. 7079 BY Craven, Biah, Cortvriend, Shanley, O'Brien ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS (Permits those individuals convicted of multiple felonies and misdemeanors to have their records expunged and provide criteria for the court to consider in determining whether the person is of good moral character.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7079.pdf House Bill No. 7080 BY Finkelman ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- THIRD-PARTY LITIGATION FINANCING CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT (Provides for "litigation financing" regulation by DBR.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7080.pdf House Bill No. 7110 BY Alzate, Stewart, Felix, Giraldo, Cruz, Fogarty, Kazarian, Casimiro, Potter, Furtado ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE PERSONAL HYGIENE PRODUCT SAFETY AND TOXIC METAL REMOVAL ACT OF 2026 (Sets a clear and enforceable standard for reducing the presence of harmful metals in personal care products, prioritizing public health through testing, labeling, and the development of safer alternatives.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7110.pdf House Bill No. 7111 BY Solomon, Casey ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- PRODUCER LICENSING ACT (Clarifies what a contract modification is, namely any change in producer compensation.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7111.pdf House Bill No. 7112 BY Lombardi, Hull, Sanchez, Cruz, Stewart ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS - REGULATORY POWERS OF ADMINISTRATION (Provides that any rate increase with respect to electric distribution companies would be no greater than the increase in the Consumer Price Index or 5.5%, whichever is greater, unless there is approval of a higher rate by the general assembly) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7112.pdf House Bill No. 7113 BY McNamara ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- UNFAIR CLAIMS SETTLEMENT PRACTICES ACT (Prohibits dental insurers from refusing to honor directions to pay from insured, modifying benefits to be paid. Requires providers to accept payment by virtual credit card as unfair claims practices.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7113.pdf House Bill No. 7121 BY Lombardi, Hull, Cruz, Stewart ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKPLACE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY ACT (Prohibits psychological abuse in the workplace by employers or co-workers, ensuring a safe environment for employees, provides protection, civil remedies, and penalties for employers based on revenue.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7121.pdf House Bill No. 7135 BY Read, Noret, Cotter, Casey, Shanley, Casimiro, Hull, Corvese, Serpa, Paplauskas ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- OFFICE OF STATE FIRE MARSHAL (Creates a program through which fire departments and fire districts are notified of locations of registrants of electric and hybrid motor vehicles can register their vehicles with their local fire department or fire district.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7135.pdf House Bill No. 7146 BY Fellela, Corvese, Azzinaro, Brien, Edwards ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- DIVISION OF PROFESSIONAL REGULATION (Creates a new class of retirement status license for retirees that had possessed a professional license issued by the department of labor and traiDance - Tumbling teacher Pay: $24.00 - $30.00 per hour
Job description: Company Overview We are dedicated to fostering children's development through dynamic dance, motor skills, and creative movement programs designed for children aged 2-12. Our innovative curriculum integrates movement with academic and social-emotional learning, promoting the growth of the whole child in a fun and supportive environment. Job Summary We are seeking an energetic and passionate Dance - Tumbling Teacher to join our after-school classes at area schools. In this role, you will inspire children through engaging tumbling and dance activities, helping them develop strength, coordination, and confidence. You will create a positive classroom atmosphere while delivering structured lessons that support physical, cognitive, and social development. Responsibilities
The 2026 legislative session kicked off January 6th, with the House Speaker and Senate President addressing their respective members. On the House side, the Speaker stated, “Let's buckle up and buckle down. It's going to be a very challenging year.” He referenced the significant changes made on the federal level, noting that a “third of our annual budget is derived from federal funding.” His priorities for the year include: health care affordability and accessibility; housing expansion; program stability in the face of federal cuts; and energy costs.
The 2024 Session Begins
Thank you to all our Sponsors and attendees who celebrated with us at the lobster Pot on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2025 Sponsored by: BankNewport, DeVine & Associates, Farmer & Vining, PC., CPA's, Navigant Credit Union, Southcoast Health, Washington Trust, A.N. Nunes Agency, Centreville Bank, Chaffee Roofing, MG Commercial , Phil's Propane, Slepkow, Slepkow & Associates 3G Painting & Coatings, John Andrade Insurance Agency, Magnetic Seal, LLC, Senator Linda Ujifusa, Shomari Lewis Engel & Volkers, Time the Plumber, Inc Alway's a great time at the Bristol Golf Park, 96 Broadcommon Road, Bristol, RI 02809 www.bristolgolfpark.com 
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