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This Week At the State House
House Finance Meets Today Today, May 4th, the House Finance Committee will take testimony on TCI/TDI as well as about the challenge of getting employees to return to work. H.5789, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Temporary Disability Insurance – General Provisions, increases the number of caregiver benefit weeks from four weeks to twelve weeks beginning January 1, 2022. The bill, the companion bill to S.436 discussed in last week’s UTD, expands the coverage to care for a sibling or grandchild, and includes routine, preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic care as eligible reasons for TDI/TCI coverage. H.5789 allows self-employed individuals to join TDI/TCI, and they become eligible after making four quarterly payments into the system, or earlier, if the person was paying into the system prior to becoming self-employed. The bill changes the taxable wage base to the greater of $250,000 or a calculation using the maximum weekly benefit amount multiplied by 30 and divided by (.36). Lastly, the bill creates tiers of weekly benefits paid to lower income individuals. Minimum wage workers will receive 90% of the individual’s weekly wage. Those making two times minimum wage will receive 75% of the individual’s weekly wage. These new rates do not include dependent allowances, although no one is permitted to receive more than 100% of the weekly wage. H5789.pdf (state.ri.us) H.6090, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Temporary Disability Insurance – Benefits, increases TCI benefits to six weeks in a benefit year starting January 1, 2022 and would increase TCI benefits to eight weeks in a benefit year beginning January 1, 2023. H6090.pdf (state.ri.us) Two other bills attempt to provide a financial incentive for employees to return to work. The Department of Labor has signaled that they will reinstate the “work search” requirement sometime in late May. However, some in the business community believe a larger incentive to return to work is required. This issue seems to be splitting the business community. H.6249, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Employment Security, allows employees to earn up to 150% of their weekly UI benefit while also still collecting the additional $300 in extra UI from the federal government. The additional $300 benefit is expected to end in September, but the federal government could extend the benefit. H.6249 allows employees to be deemed partially unemployed – and earn up to 150% of their UI weekly benefit rate starting May 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2022. H6249.pdf (state.ri.us) H.6218, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – RI Back to Work Incentive Program, provides incentive benefits for persons collecting unemployment benefits who return to work. The person would be eligible to receive $150 per week for thirteen weeks based on a forty-hour work week with prorated benefits for less than forty hours. Upon completion of the thirteen-week period, additional compensation up to a maximum of $1,950 would be paid on a prorated basis. These benefits would expire on January 1, 2022. H6218.pdf (state.ri.us) Written testimony may be submitted via HouseFinance@rilegislature.gov but must be received by 1:00 pm Tuesday, May 4th. Indicate your name, bill number, and viewpoint (for/against/neither) at top of message. This inbox is for written testimony only. For faster processing, it is recommended that testimony is submitted as a PDF file. Senate Labor Meets Wednesday On Wednesday, May 5th, the Senate Labor Committee will meet at 5:00 pm to discuss some of the same bills as House Finance. S.808, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – RI Back to Work Incentive Program is identical to H.6218 outlined above. S.858, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Employment Security is identical to H.6249 outlined above. S.272, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Fair Employment Practices, changes the definition of an employee to include volunteers, apprentices, and unpaid interns for the purposes of Fair Employment Practices Act. The bill also allows individual to be personally sued for violations of the Act. Under current law, only the employer can be sued for discrimination against an employee. S0272.pdf (state.ri.us) S.837, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Temporary Disability Insurance – Contributions, makes a radical change in the area of TDI. This program, since its inception, has been a program for employees, funded by employees. S.837 seeks to reduce the employee contribution by half and require employers to pay the other half. The new payment system would start January 1, 2022. S0837.pdf (state.ri.us) House Finance to Take Up Income Tax Hike Bills – Your Help is Needed! Thursday, May 6th the Chamber needs your help! The House Finance Committee will meet to discuss two tax hike bills (H 5227 and H 5229) that would increase income taxes in Rhode Island, damaging our state’s competitiveness and our ability to attract new businesses and grow our economy. You can help by delivering the message: “raising taxes right now is a bad idea.” The Chamber is asking you to submit both written and verbal testimony:
H-5227 increases the tax rate from 5.99% to 8.99% on income over $475,000 starting January 1, 2022. The money goes to the general fund H-5229 raises the tax rate from 5.99% to 6.99% on income over $500,000 effective immediately and places the money into an account to be used for primary and secondary education. It is important to remember that the General Assembly can transfer money out of restricted receipt accounts in any budget document. This is a bad idea - Here’s why.
Revenue Estimating Conference – Economic Overview IHS Markit provided their best economic forecast for Rhode Island at the Revenue Estimating Conference meeting last week. Before offering predictions, they revised their December 2020 report to reflect actual data. Nonfarm payroll was revised down an additional 4100 jobs which also related to a further downward revision on state year-over -year growth from -8.7% to -9.3%. Unemployment numbers improved a little as the rate was7.9% instead of the projected 8.1%. Much of the downturn came as a result of the COVID surge at the end of the year. Not surprisingly, the change in employment from January, 2020 to February, 2021, was felt more by lower wage earners. Those making $27,000 a year or less experienced a -25.1% employment rate. Those making $27000 - $60,000 experienced a -10.8% employment rate; and those making more than $60,000 experienced a -1.7% employment rate. IHS Markit predicts: (1) Employment growth will proceed at a steady, yet decelerating pace over time as the recovery continues (2) Growth heavily front-loaded to near term as recovery takes off (3) Overall, quarterly annualized gains average 3.5% over that period, for an overall net gain of ~37,000 jobs by FY23Q4 and (4) Unemployment rate falls from 7.2% in FY21Q3 to 3.8% by FY23Q4 At the sectoral level, most of the largest projected employment gains are concentrated in the categories most heavily impacted in Spring 2020 • Professional, Scientific, Technical Services (+6,200) • Accommodations and Food Services (+6,000) • Healthcare and Social Assistance (+4,300) • Other Services (+4,200) • Administrative Support Services (+4,100) Of course, these predictions are made under the assumption that no new significant COVID related outbreaks occur. May 2021 Forecast –Annual Percent Change FY2019 FY2020 FY2021 FY2022 FY2023 FY2024 Employment, Total Nonfarm 0.7 -3.9 -3.9 5.1 2.4 1.2 Real GSP, (2012$) 0.9 -2.9 1.0 5.3 2.3 1.9 Total Personal Income ($) 3.4 5.8 7.1 -1.8 3.6 4.0 Wages and Salaries ($) 2.9 -0.2 3.7 5.8 4.5 4.7 Transfer Payments ($) 2.2 27.7 21.6 -20.2 0.0 2.6 Personal Consumption Exp. 3.6 -0.8 2.6 7.9 5.1 4.5 Unemployment Rate (%, Level) 3.8 6.2 8.4 4.8 3.9 3.7 Sugary Beverage Tax Debate Continues The tax on sugary beverages is getting attention at the State House. While the revenue may be desirable to some, the debate seems to be geared more toward influencing nutritional choices of individuals and providing a revenue stream for a new program. If passed, H.5715 would levy a tax of 1.5 cents per ounce, starting January 1, 2022, on items such as: soda, syrups, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened iced teas and coffees, and other products with added caloric sweetener or flavored water with added caloric sweetener. Neither Massachusetts or Connecticut has a similar tax. H.5715 creates a new fund, called the “Retail SNAP Incentives Program.” The purpose of the fund is to promote healthy food access and nutrition for SNAP recipients. Recipients would receive $.50 credit on their EBT cards for each $1 spent on eligible fruits and vegetables up to a monthly limit set by the state. What does the tax mean for businesses and consumers? A 5-gallon bag in a box, used by many businesses for fountain drinks, would be taxed $57.60. A 12-pack of canned soft drink would be taxed $2.16. A 19oz package of lemonade powder to make 8 quarts would be taxed $3.84. A 6-pack of ice tea (16.9 oz) would be taxed $1.44. An 8-pack of sports drinks (20 oz) would be taxed $2.40. A 2-liter bottle of soft drink would be taxed $1.02. This tax will hurt businesses and cost consumers money. If you wish to help on this issue, you can:
The following new bills have been filed: House Bill No. 6265 (Secretary of State) Amore, AN ACT RELATING TO CORPORATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND PARTNERSHIPS -- UNIFORM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP ACT (Enacts the Rhode Island Limited Partnership Act to govern the law of limited partnerships in this state and repeal chapter 12 of title 7 entitled "Limited Partnerships". Effective 1/1/2022.) House Bill No. 6267 Costantino, McEntee, Caldwell, Corvese, Hawkins, Phillips, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION (Provides for an interest and penalty free period for the payment of sales and income taxes due to the state for the calendar year 2021 and continuing through March of 2021 for income taxes and August 2021 for sales taxes.) Senate Bill No. 858 Goodwin, Ciccone, Ruggerio, 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.) Budget Process Heats Up
The General Assembly is back as it begins the final phase of the 2021 legislative session. Over the next two months bills will be passed and sent to the Governor for consideration and the FY2022 budget will be amended and passed. Much of the expert budget testimony will be unveiled in the next two weeks, with the final budget numbers being debated and decided upon on May 10th. The following are key dates for the May Estimating Conference: Monday, April 26, 2021 – Cash Assistance and Medical Caseloads 9:00 A.M. Department of Human Services and Executive Office of Health and Human Services Friday, April 30, 2021 – Economic Overview and Testimony 9:00 A.M. US and RI Economic Forecasts – IHS Markit James Bohnaker, Economist Michael Lynch, Economist Consensus Economic Forecast 10:30 A.M. Lottery Receipts - Department of Revenue, Division of Lottery Mark Furcolo, Director, Division of Lottery Accruals – Accounts and Controls Peter Keenan, State Controller Monday May 3, 2021 – Tax Collections 1:00 P .M Department of Revenue, Division of Taxation Neena Savage, State Tax Administrator Wednesday May 5, 2021 – Caseload Estimate 9:00 A.M. Caseload Estimating Conference Thursday May 6, 2021 – Testimony (if necessary) 9:00 A.M Tax Collections – Department of Revenue, Division of Taxation Neena Savage, State Tax Administrator Monday, May 10, 2021 – Revenue Estimate 9:00 A.M. Revenue Estimating Conference This Week At the State House Wednesday is a big voting and hearing day. Minimum Wage The House Labor Committee is set to vote on a minimum wage bill that is expected to be amended to match the Senate version passed back in February. H.5130 SubA, if passed by the committee and then the full House, will increase the minimum wage to $12.25 per hour starting January 1, 2022; $13 per hour January 1, 2023; $14 per hour January 1, 2024; and $15 per hour January 1, 2025. The original bill called for the increase to begin July 1, 2021. The Chamber opposed an increase in minimum wage, but also advocated for changing the implementation date to January if the legislature was to move forward on the proposal. Plastic Bags and Plastic Straws The Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee is scheduled to vote to ban the use of plastic bags (S.37) and plastic straws (S.155). The Senate passed both of these bills in prior years. S.37 bans retail establishments from providing plastic bags to customers unless those bags have handles which are stitched and are “specifically designed and manufactured for 125 or more reuses, and is made primarily of washable cloth, other durable woven or nonwoven fabric, polyester, polypropylene, or other durable plastic with a minimum thickness of four (4.0) mils.” There are some exemptions such as bags used for perishable foods, newspapers and door hangers. See S0037.pdf (state.ri.us) for the exact language S.155 bans establishments from providing single-use plastic straws to customers unless that customer specifically requests one. S0155.pdf (state.ri.us) TDI/TCI, Family Leave and Medical Leave The Senate Labor Committee will take testimony on a few human resource related bills, Wednesday, April 28th at 3:00 p.m. If you wish to submit written testimony on any of these bills email the testimony to slegislation@rilegislature.gov by 1:59 PM Wednesday, April 28th. Requests to testify verbally must be submitted before 4:00 PM Tuesday (TODAY). Members of the public can request to provide verbal testimony to the committee through the following link: VERBAL TESTIMONY S.436, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Temporary Disability Insurance – General Provisions, increases the number of caregiver benefit weeks from four weeks to twelve weeks beginning January 1, 2022. The bill expands the coverage to care for a sibling or grandchild, and includes routine, preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic care as eligible reasons for TDI/TCI coverage. S.436 allows self-employed individuals to join TDI/TCI, and they become eligible after making four quarterly payments into the system, or earlier, if the person was paying into the system prior to becoming self-employed. The bill changes the taxable wage base to the greater of $250,000 or a calculation using the maximum weekly benefit amount multiplied by 30 and divided by (.36). Lastly, the bill creates tiers of weekly benefits paid to lower income individuals. Minimum wage workers will receive 90% of the individual’s weekly wage. Those making two times minimum wage will receive 75% of the individual’s weekly wage. These new rates do not include dependent allowances, although no one is permitted to receive more than 100% of the weekly wage. The bill can be viewed at: S0436.pdf (state.ri.us) S.611, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations, Rhode Island Parental and Family Medical Leave Act, increases the amount of parental or family leave available to an employee from 13 weeks to 26 weeks in any two calendar years. The bill would take effect upon passage. The bill can be viewed at: S0611.pdf (state.ri.us) S.612, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations, Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act, would require an employer to provide employees with additional paid sick leave time, in addition to the current paid sick and safe leave time, for COVID-19 purposes. For employees who work 40 hours or more per week, an employer would be required to provide them with an additional 80 hours of paid sick leave time. For employees who work fewer than 40 hours per week, an employer would be required to provide them with paid sick leave time equal to an average of the number of hours they work over a two-week period. If an employee’s hours vary, the employer is required to use one of the following two options: (1) a number equal to the average number of hours that the employee was scheduled per day over the six month period ending on the date on which the employee takes the paid sick leave time, including hours for which the employee took leave of any type; or (2) If the employee did not work over such period, the reasonable expectation of the employee at the time of hiring of the average number of hours per day that the employee would normally be scheduled to work. This act would take effect upon passage. The bill can be viewed at: S0612.pdf (state.ri.us) The following new bills have been filed: Senate Bill No. 826 (Secretary of State) Lombardi, Coyne, AN ACT RELATING TO CORPORATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND PARTNERSHIPS -- UNIFORM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP ACT (Enacts the Rhode Island Limited Partnership Act to govern the law of limited partnerships in this state and repeal chapter 12 of title 7 entitled "Limited Partnerships". Effective 1/1/2022.) S0826.pdf (state.ri.us) Senate Bill No. 833 (Dept. of Transportation) Lombardo, Lombardi, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- SIZE, WEIGHT, AND LOAD LIMITS (Transfers all responsibility for oversize/overweight permitting to the department of transportation and amends and increases fines for all oversize and overweight infractions.) S0833.pdf (state.ri.us) Senate Bill No. 836 (Secretary of State) Picard, AN ACT RELATING TO CORPORATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND PARTNERSHIPS -- MERGER AND CONSOLIDATION (Amends the Rhode Island Nonprofit Corporation Act regarding consolidation and merger.) S0836.pdf (state.ri.us) Senate Bill No. 837 Pearson, Seveney, Acosta, Goldin, Miller, 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.) S0837.pdf (state.ri.us) Senate Bill No. 838 Lombardi, Lombardo, Picard, Lawson, Ciccone, Gallo, Felag, 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 one hundred fifty dollar ($150) filing fee.) S0838.pdf (state.ri.us) Congratulations! Anna Medeiros cut the ribbon on Friday, April 23, 2021 in her new studio space in Barrington. Anna Kay Photography - Rhode Island Child & Family Portraiture 33 Kent Street, Unit D in Barrington, Rhode Island 02806  "Hi! I'm Anna.
While I'm not photographing families at Anna Kay Photography studio and throughout Southern New England, you'll most likely find me making my own memories with my husband and our three sons. Motherhood has given me such an appreciation for living in the present as some of the most beautiful moments are often the most fleeting. Photography has allowed me to grab hold of as many of them as I can, so that I can take them with me to never be forgotten. Doing this for families over the years has been such a privilege and I am so thankful to play a part in preserving their stories. I can't wait to help with yours!" Please join us in welcoming NEW CHAMBER MEMBER Rumford Pet Express A family-owned pet store specializing in Natural Pet Food and Supplies, serving Southern New England since 1937. We are so excited to have you and so are our furry friends! Rumford Pet Express is located at 182 County Road in Barrington, RI 02806 About Rumford Pet Express Rumford Pet Express is a fourth-generation, family-owned pet specialty retailer dedicated to the wellbeing of pets and the community for more than 85 years. With nine locations throughout Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts, their pet-friendly stores carry a wide array of high-quality natural pet foods, treats, toys, accessories, and health clinics. Rumford Pet Express team members are passionate pet lovers specially trained to support pet parents with the lifetime nutritional needs of their loved ones. Rumford Pet Express also supports local pets in need through developing long-lasting partnerships with local animal welfare groups. Learn more at www.rumfordpet.com, Facebook, or Instagram. #naturalpetfood #rumfordpet #eastbaychamberri #petfoodri  This Week at the State House
The General Assembly is on break this week. New Employment Data Released The Department of Labor and Training released its Labor Market Information March report. The number of Rhode Island-based jobs rose by 2,300 (+0.5%) in March. Over the year, the number of Rhode Island-based jobs is down 35,100, a 7.0 percent decrease. The March unemployment rate of 7.1 in Rhode Island is down two-tenths of a percentage point from February, while being up three and one-tenth percentage points from March 2020. What do the percentages really mean? When we look at the hard numbers, the picture becomes more clear. The total number of non-farm employment for Rhode Island in March was 457,600. Government jobs account for 62,500 of those jobs, leaving 395,100 jobs in the private sector. The two industry sectors that saw increases over March 2020, were specialty trade contractors in construction (+400 jobs), and manufacturing (+2400). Losses were reported for retail (-1500); transportation, warehouse & utilities (-1200); information (-800); financial activities including real estate (-1000); professional businesses and services (-4400); educational services (-1000); health care and social services (-5600); arts and entertainment (-2400); accommodation and food services (-9000); other services (-2200); and government (-3700). This information continues to raise concerns over the status of the State’s Unemployment Trust Fund. The Chamber continues to raise the need to use federal stimulus monies to shore up the fund and to not place the pandemic burden on employers for decades to come. Legislative Incentives to Work While the number of bills introduced on a daily basis is decreasing, there have been a number of proposals introduced to incentivize individuals to return to work. The suspension of the need to prove that an unemployment compensation claimant is actively looking for work, plus the additional $300 a week benefit offering is appearing to cause difficulties for businesses to find employees. Rhode Island is not alone. Many states are looking at various ways to address the problem – from offering financial incentives to return to work, to reinstituting the requirement to actively job search. As those in the business community know, incentives to return to work could cause great harm, if the funds to pay those incentives come from the Unemployment Trust Fund. Last week, General Treasurer Magaziner introduced his solution in H.6249 and H.6250 (links are provided below). H.6249 - From May 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, an employee would be deemed partially unemployed if the person works less than full time and makes less than 150% of the weekly benefit rate to which they would have been entitled if totally unemployed and eligible. Current law allows for partial unemployment if the person makes less than 100% of the weekly benefit. H.6250 – This bill creates a self-employment assistance program under DLT. If a person is working at least 35 hours a week to establish a business and has at least 18 weeks left in regular unemployment benefits, that person could qualify for self-employment assistance money which is equal to the unemployment benefit rate and is paid out of the unemployment trust fund. The person must submit an application for the program and take advantage of an entrepreneurial training, business counseling, technical assistance program approved by DLT. If the program participant decides that self-employment is not for him/her, then the person can transfer back to the regular unemployment program. The individual’s remaining eligible unemployment benefit weeks will be reduced by the number of weeks the person participated in the assistance program. Two legislative bills – also addressing this issue – are H.6218 and S.808. These bills provide incentive benefits for persons collecting unemployment benefits who return to work, in the amount of $150 per week for 13 weeks based on a 40 hour work week with prorated benefits for persons working less than 40 hours. Upon completion of the 13-week period, additional compensation up to a maximum of $1,950 would be paid on a prorated basis. These benefits would expire on January 1, 2022. The following new bills have been filed: House Bill No. 6241 (Secretary of State) Lima, Casey, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT (Allows the continuance of the remote notarization following the expiration of the executive emergency order currently in effect and requires a certificate of any notarial act.) H6241.pdf (state.ri.us) House Bill No. 6248 (General Treasurer) Caldwell, McEntee, Costantino, Carson, Hawkins, Baginski, Biah, Speakman, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (Creates paycheck protection program for small businesses of with 50 employees or less for forgivable loans of $50,000 or less modeled on federal program with sunset date of 6/30/2022.) H6248.pdf (state.ri.us) House Bill No. 6249 (General Treasurer) McEntee, Carson, Felix, Cortvriend, Phillips, Costantino, Giraldo, Fogarty, Caldwell, Kazarian, 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.) H6249.pdf (state.ri.us) House Bill No. 6250 (General Treasurer) Cortvriend, McEntee, Caldwell, Carson, Speakman, Donovan, Cassar, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- EMPLOYMENT SECURITY -- BENEFITS (Creates a self-employment assistance program in the DLT.) H6250.pdf (state.ri.us) House Bill No. 6253 McGaw, McNamara, Donovan, Cortvriend, Potter, Cassar, Carson, Speakman, Ackerman, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES - PARKING FACILITIES AND PRIVILEGES (Requires parking lots to designate parking spaces for electric vehicles/installation of charging stations for new existing public/private parking lots with fines for parking violations/compliance. Effective 7/1/21.) H6253.pdf (state.ri.us) House Bill No. 6254 Casimiro, Vella-Wilkinson, Noret, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR NOTARIES PUBLIC (Codifies in the general laws the standards of conduct for notaries public in the state of Rhode Island by the secretary of state which came into effect on April 3, 2020. Takes effect on July 1, 2021; sunsets and expires on July 1, 2023.) H6254.pdf (state.ri.us) The Rhode Island Small Business Relief Grant Program is now accepting applications. This program provides grants of up to $5,000 for Rhode Island-based small businesses that have suffered financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis through 5 PM on Friday, April 30, 2021. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE For eligibility criteria and to help you prepare to apply, please find additional resources below. Should you have any questions, please email info@commerceri.com. Thank you. Update: Applicants who have received more than $25,000 in grants are now eligible to apply provided they meet all other criteria. Additional Resources: 👉 Prepare to Apply Checklist 👉 Frequently Asked Questions 👉 Information on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
This Week at the State House This week is the last week before the General Assembly’s Spring Recess (April 19-23). Medical Marijuana Use Yesterday, April 12th, the House Committee on State Government, heard testimony on H.5021, An Act Relating to Food and Drugs – medical marijuana. The bill bars employers from refusing to hire, discharge or discriminate against an individual because of his/her status as a medical marijuana cardholder, or if the person tests positive for the components of the drug. The employer is permitted to take action if the person is impaired during the hours of employment. The issue of marijuana use will continue to be in the forefront of future legislative debates. The business community continues to advocate for protections for employers that participate in federal contracts, and for the ability to test employees as the employer sees fit. Unfair Practice of Law in Real Estate H.5985, An Act Relating to Insurance – Rhode Island Title Insurers Act, will be a topic of discussion in the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday, April 13th, at the Rise (approximately 4:30 p.m.). This bill provides that only attorneys licensed in the state of Rhode Island can act as title insurance agents and only they can determine insurability and marketability of property. H.5985 bans title insurers from discounting title insurance premiums and prohibits sharing fees from the premiums except between licensed title agents and licensed attorneys. If passed, each real estate closings would require another attorney. The estimated increase in closing cost fees is approximately $240. Rhode Island currently has the second lowest closing costs in the New England region (New Hampshire is the lowest). Written testimony may be submitted via HouseJudiciary@rilegislature.gov Indicate your name, bill number, and viewpoint (for/against/neither) at top of message. This inbox is for written testimony only. DEADLINE: Written testimony should be submitted no later than 1:00 PM Tuesday, April 13th. For faster processing, it is recommended that testimony is submitted as a PDF file. VERBAL TESTIMONY *DEADLINE: Requests for verbal testimony must be submitted via the link, by 4:00 PM on Monday, April 12, 2021. For verbal testimony requests, CLICK HERE Medicaid Employer Assessment On Thursday, April 15th at the Rise (approximately 4:30 p.m.), the House Finance Committee will hear testimony on H.5448, an Act Relating to Human Services – Medicaid Employer Assessment. The bill can be viewed at http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/HouseText21/H5448.pdf H.5448 affects any employer with 300 or more employees located within the state of Rhode Island. These employers would be assessed a quarterly fee, payable to the state, for each full or part-time employee who is a Medicaid beneficiary. Nonprofit organizations and government entities are excluded. The fee to be assessed equals 10% of the wages paid to the qualifying employee up to a maximum of $1500 per qualifying employee. Certain working adults with disabilities, employees enrolled in Rite Share and employees with only children enrolled in Medicaid are not considered “qualifying employees” for assessment purposes. If passed, the program would start January 1, 2022. Written testimony may be submitted via HouseFinance@rilegislature.gov Indicate your name, bill number, and viewpoint (for/against/neither) at top of message. This inbox is for written testimony only. DEADLINE: Written testimony should be submitted no later than 1:00PM April 15th. For faster processing, it is recommended that testimony is submitted as a PDF file. VERBAL TESTIMONY: *DEADLINE: Requests for verbal testimony must be submitted via the link, by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. For verbal testimony requests, CLICK HERE PPP Loan Forgiveness Taxation On Thursday, April 15th at 5:00 p.m., the Senate Finance will take testimony on the Article 2 of H.6121. Like last week in the House Finance Committee, this is the Governor’s proposal to tax PPP loan forgiveness amounts over $150,000. As background, the federal government created the PPP loan program under the CARES Act in 2020. Normally, the IRS considers most types of loan forgiveness as taxable unearned income. However, the US Congress, US Senate and US President decided to change the rule as it applies to PPP loan forgiveness, thus making the loans non-taxable from a federal tax point of view. Rhode Island is a federal tax piggy-back state, so the same tax treatment will apply to Rhode Island unless the General Assembly and Governor tax action. Under Article 2, if your company received a loan of $150,000, there would be no tax owed. If your company received a loan of $160,000, $10,000 of the loan forgiveness would become taxable. Article 2 also contains a provision that gives the tax administrator the authority to exclude the amount of any PPP loan forgiveness from state taxation if the federal government allocates any funds to the state for general revenue replacement. The tax administrator would be required to provide written notice to the House and Senate that the loans are no longer taxable. The Senate Finance Committee will also hear testimony on S.815, An Act Relating to Taxation – Business Corporation Tax. This bill specifically exempts from taxation any loan forgiveness under the federal Paycheck 2 Protection Program. Written testimony can be submitted to the committee by emailing it to: jplume@rilegislature.gov *Written Testimony must be submitted prior to 2:00 PM on Thursday, April 15, 2021, in order for it to be provided to the members of the committee at the hearing and to be included in the meeting records. Members of the public can request to provide verbal testimony to the committee through the following link:VERBAL TESTIMONY *Requests to provide verbal testimony must be submitted by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Parking Lot EV Charging Station Requirements S.173, An Act Relating to Motor and Motor Vehicles – Parking Facility and Privileges, will be heard in the Senate Housing & Municipal Government Committee, Thursday, April 15th at 3:00 p.m. All new parking lots, and existing parking lots that expand 50% or more, would be required to include designated parking spaces and the installation of level 2 EV charging stations or a dual charger to be shared by two parking spaces before completion of the project. Existing parking lots not undergoing an expansion would have to comply by December 31, 2022. The amount of designated parking spaces shall be the greater of: (1) One space or 1% of the total spaces for restaurants, retail businesses, recreational and cultural venues (2) One space or 1% of the total spaces for medical, industrial and municipal facilities; (3) One space or 3% of the total spaces for all commercial lodging facilities; and (4) One space or 5% of the total spaces for multi-household residential facilities. The owner of a parking lot that fails to comply is subject to a civil penalty of $10,000. Written testimony can be submitted to the committee by emailing it to: slegislation@rilegislature.gov *Written Testimony must be submitted prior to 2:00 PM on Thursday, April 15, 2021, in order for it to be provided to the members of the committee at the hearing and to be included in the meeting records. Members of the public can request to provide verbal testimony to the committee through the following link:VERBAL TESTIMONY *Requests to provide verbal testimony must be submitted by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. The following new bills have been filed: House Bill No. 6218 Fenton-Fung, 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.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/HouseText21/H6218.pdf House Bill No. 6219 Slater, O'Brien, Potter, Felix, Williams, Morales, Tanzi, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- RIGHT TO ORGANIZE (Allows labor organizations/unions to organize any employees who work for employers in an industry that is regulated by the medical marijuana act or cannabis-regulated industry.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/HouseText21/H6219.pdf Senate Bill No. 788 Lombardi, Lombardo, Raptakis, Archambault, Picard, Ciccone, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS (Prevents third-party delivery service from using the likeness, registered trademark, or any intellectual property belonging to the merchant to falsely suggest sponsorship or endorsement by, or affiliation with the merchant without the merchant’s consent.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0788.pdf Senate Bill No. 789 (Secretary of State) Archambault, Pearson, AN ACT RELATING TO CORPORATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS -- RHODE ISLAND BUSINESS CORPORATION ACT (Requires that annual reports of domestic and foreign business corporations, nonprofit corporations, and limited liability companies be filed with the secretary of state between February 1 and May 1 of each year.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0789.pdf Senate Bill No. 808 Lombardi, Ciccone, Raptakis, Lombardo, Archambault, Picard, 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.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0808.pdf Senate Bill No. 815 Cano, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- BUSINESS CORPORATION TAX (Exempts from taxation any loan forgiveness under the federal Paycheck Protection Program.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0815.pdf 2021 Act on Climate – Last Chance to Make Your Voice Heard in the Legislature
Last week the House Committee on Environment passed S.78 SubA while the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture passed the companion bill H.5445 SubA. Both of these bills are headed to the House and Senate floor for a final vote today, April 6th. These bills speed up the State's current greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and also give anyone the right to sue in Superior Court if the targets are not met – making the targets mandatory. Governor Dan McKee has expressed concern about granting legal standing so that anyone sue, suggesting instead that the legislature consider amending the bill to allow only the Attorney General to file suit. The Governor’s proposal provides some level of checks and balances on the process, and will help the state to avoid wasting precious revenue on numerous lawsuits. If these bills pass, all Rhode Island businesses and households will have to change their heating systems to geothermal heat pumps or electric heat pumps. Businesses and residents will be required to switch their vehicles to electric vehicles. The Brattle Group Consultant said, “Residential deep energy retrofit” could cost between $50,000 and $100,000 or more per housing unit. The average cost of an electric personal vehicle in 2019 was $35,000 according to Kelly Blue Book. Finally, 89% of Rhode Island’s electricity is generated through fossil fuel. H.5445 SubA and S.78 SubA require all electricity in Rhode Island to come from renewable sources – that’s what the experts say it will take to meet the targets in the legislation. ISO New England representatives said the studies should be complete by the end of the year. Today, we don’t know if it is technologically possible or, if it is possible, at what cost. To move forward now on any proposal to force electrification of homes, businesses, vehicles, or transit modes, and to allow anyone to sue to force these changes to happen, is ill conceived and robs the business community and residents of true transparency surrounding the choices being made. Massachusetts is considering the passage of a $10 billion bond to begin the process of meeting its mandatory emission reduction targets. How much will Rhode Island need to borrow to meet these goals; what will the cost of electricity be; can the state switch all homes and buildings and cars to electricity in 19 years? These answers must be known before we flip the switch. If you have not yet contacted your legislator, please consider doing so by using this link: https://p2a.co/GkdBE4G Governor’s Budget – Article 2- Relating to State Funds Budget Article 2 was heard in the House Finance Committee last week. In 2019, the General Assembly passed a law that requires monthly reporting if an agency’s quarterly report forecasts a deficit. The law also prohibits the controller from authorizing payments for new staff, contracts or purchases for any agency expected to overspend – unless that expense is related to immediate health or safety concerns. Article 2 limits the monthly reporting requirements to general revenue deficits, not restricted receipt accounts. The Article also allows the controller to spend more than the budget allocates, if the amount to be spent is less than the previous year’s expenditure or for one-time equipment or supply purchases. The controller would be permitted to allow overspending if the state is trying to comply with a corrective action plan, a court order or to respond to an emergency or to meet caseload estimates. Governor’s Budget – Article 8 Budget Article 8 requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish an emergency response requirement by May 15, 2022, and annually thereafter. The Article also requires electric and natural gas companies to establish standards for responding to widespread outages. Failure to adopt standards results in a $500 per day fine. This comes as a response to the gas outage emergency on Aquidneck Island in January of 2019. This Week at the State House PPP Loan Forgiveness Taxation On Wednesday, April 7th at the Rise (following session - approximately 4:30), the House Finance will take testimony on the Article 2 of H.6121. This is the Governor’s proposal to tax PPP loan forgiveness amounts over $150,000. As background, the federal government created the PPP loan program under the CARES Act in 2020. Normally, the IRS considers most types of loan forgiveness as taxable unearned income. However, the US Congress, US Senate and US President decided to change the rule as it applies to PPP loan forgiveness, thus making the loans non taxable from a federal tax point of view. Rhode Island is a federal tax piggy-back state, so the same tax treatment will apply to Rhode Island unless the General Assembly and Governor tax action. Under Article 2, if your company received a loan of $150,000, there would be no tax owed. If your company received a loan of $160,000, $10,000 of the loan forgiveness would become taxable. Article 2 also contains a provision that gives the tax administrator the authority to exclude the amount of any PPP loan forgiveness from state taxation if the federal government allocates any funds to the state for general revenue replacement. The tax administrator would be required to provide written notice to the House and Senate that the loans are no longer taxable. Written testimony may be submitted to: HouseFinance@rilegislature.gov Indicate your name, bill number H.6121, Article 2, and viewpoint (for/against/neither) at top of message. Written testimony must be submitted no later 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, April, 7th. Testimony received after deadline will be sent to committee members and posted to the website as soon as possible. For faster processing, it is recommended that testimony is submitted as a PDF file. VERBAL TESTIMONY Due to the extremely high volume of requests Requests for verbal testimony must be submitted via the link, by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. For verbal testimony requests, CLICK HERE The following new bills have been filed: House Bill No. 6188 Vella-Wilkinson, Cardillo, Casimiro, Bennett, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- RHODE ISLAND SALVAGE LAW (Provides that if an insurance company is unable to obtain a certificate of title for a vehicle, the insurance company or its agent may apply for and obtain, free and clear of all liens and claims of ownership, a salvage certificate of title.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/HouseText21/H6188.pdf Senate Bill No. 754 Murray, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION - SALES AND USE TAXES - LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION (Exempts from the sales and use tax that portion of a motor vehicle lease payment collected for tangible personal property tax, municipal property tax, excise, or any other similar tax.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0754.pdf Senate Bill No. 758 Miller, DiMario, Sosnowski, Pearson, Euer, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARD (Sets forth new renewable energy standards.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0758.pdf Senate Bill No. 763 DiPalma, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- ESTATE AND TRANSFER TAXES--LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION (Increases the exemption for estate taxes to two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) effective January 1, 2023. There would be a further increased estate tax exemption to five million dollars ($5,000,000) effective January 1, 2025.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0763.pdf Senate Bill No. 765 DiPalma, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- STATE TAX OFFICIALS (Changes the rate of interest for underpayments of tax to prime rate plus six percent (6%). Also limits the assessment of interest to four (4) calendar years prior to the date on which notice of the delinquent payment is sent.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0765.pdf Senate Bill No. 770 DiPalma, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES (Creates consumer legislation designed to limit in-application payments for software applications and purchases.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0770.pdf CALL TO ACTION – Time to Call/Email Your State Representative
Last week, the House Committee on Environment & Natural Resources voted to recommend passage of H.5445 SubA, the 2021 Act on Climate. (the change was not substantive) The bill is on the House floor for a vote Tuesday. Go to this link to send an email directly to your State Representative – please do it today! https://p2a.co/dzkbnYe These bills speed up the reduction of greenhouse gas emission targets currently in law, but they do much more. Under current law, Rhode Island set a goal of 10% reduction over 1990 levels by 2020, a 45% reduction over 1990 levels by 2035, and 80% over 1990 levels by 2050. The Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) is charged with developing plans to meet those targets. The state has met the 2020 target. H.5445 SubA changes the targets to 45% reduction over 1990 levels by 2030, 80% reduction over 1990 levels by 2040 and net zero emissions by 2050. The more challenging change is in the enforcement of the reduction targets. H.5445 SubA allows the EC4 to require agencies to promulgate rules necessary to reach the targets. There is no language in the bill to provide guidelines for what can or cannot be adopted as part of a rule. At this time, the only known technological path to meet the 2040 goal is to require every business and every residence to switch heating systems to a geothermal heat pump or to an electric heat pump for heating purposes, and to require all Rhode Islanders to switch to electric vehicles. In addition, all electricity generation in the state would have to switch to renewable fuel – wind, solar, etc. If the emission target is not reached, any person has the right to file a lawsuit and force government action regardless of the cost. 89% of the state’s electricity is currently generated by natural gas. The body responsible for ensuring reliability of New England’s electrical grid (ISO New England) will not complete its study on feasibility until the end of this year. Rhode Island also has the fourth highest electricity rates in the country. How does the state transition to 100% renewable electricity and at what cost? If, as H.5445 SubA would indirectly require, all businesses and residents must switch to electric heat and electric vehicles by 2030 or 2040, how will the additional electricity demand be met and at what cost? According to the State’s consultant, a “deep residential energy retrofit” would cost between $50,000 and $100,000 per unit. No cost analysis was provided for a commercial or industrial facility. Massachusetts has similar language in law to that proposed by H.5445 SubA. Last month legislation was introduced in Massachusetts to raise $10 billion to pay for necessary actions to try to meet the mandated greenhouse gas emission targets in their state law. Part of the $10 billion, includes $500 million generated from a carbon tax on electricity, transportation, heating and industry. The money would go to construct more renewable energy capacity, local aid for climate-related projects, clean energy workforce training and direct payments to lower-income households. Now is the time to call your State Representative! Ask them to vote against passage of H.5445 SubA. This Week at the State House New Mandate Proposed for Businesses With 500+ Employees On Wednesday at 5:00 p.m., the Senate Labor Committee will consider S.433, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Establishing the “Commuter Transportation Benefits Act”. This bill requires employers with 500+ employees to offer employees a pre-tax transportation fringe benefit program that provides commuter transit benefits consistent with section 132(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. State and municipal governments are exempt, as are employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement in effect on January 1, 2022. Those covered by a CBA are included after the agreement expires. If an employer fails to comply, a civil penalty of $100 to $250 will be assessed for the first violation, and the employer will be given 90 days to come into compliance. Each additional 30-day period of non-compliance will result in an additional $250 fine. If passed, the requirement would go into effect January 1, 2022. The bill can be viewed at: http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0433.pdf Written testimony can be submitted to the committee by emailing it to: slegislation@rilegislature.gov *Written Testimony must be submitted prior to 2:00 PM on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in order for it to be provided to the members of the committee at the hearing and to be included in the meeting records. Members of the public can request to provide verbal testimony to the committee through the following link:VERBAL TESTIMONY *Requests to provide verbal testimony must be submitted by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Employer Assessment Fee Hearing On Wednesday at 5:00 p.m., the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Committee will take testimony on S.386, An Act Relating to Health and Safety – Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund. S.386 creates a new government program to assist families of children fighting an illness, the medical expenses of which are not covered by a state or federal program or health insurance program; and the expense exceeds 10% of the first $100,000 of annual income of the family plus 15% of the excess income over $100,000. The Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund will be financed through an annual charge on employers of $1.50 per employee. The fee only applies to employers subject to the unemployment insurance tax. The bill can be viewed at: http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0386.pdf Written testimony can be submitted to the committee by emailing it to: slegislation@rilegislature.gov *Written Testimony must be submitted prior to 2:00 PM on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in order for it to be provided to the members of the committee at the hearing and to be included in the meeting records. Members of the public can request to provide verbal testimony to the committee through the following link:VERBAL TESTIMONY *Requests to provide verbal testimony must be submitted by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Governor McKee’s Supplemental Budget – PPP Loan Forgiveness Taxation H.6121 is the Governor’s Supplemental Budget for the current fiscal year. Article 2 of the FY2021 Supplemental Budget includes a provision that decouples the Rhode Island income tax from the federal income as it relates to the treatment of PPP Loan Forgiveness. In December of 2020, the federal government reversed its treatment of PPP Loan Forgiveness so that it is considered nontaxable for federal tax purposes. Because Rhode Island is a “piggy-back” state, this tax treatment flows to the state tax treatment as well. It has been reported that Rhode Island would lose $133 million in tax revenue if the status quo remains. H.6121 proposes to decouple so that PPP Loan Forgiveness amounts over $150,000 would be taxable in the state of Rhode Island. Early reports indicate the State would recapture about half of the $133 million by making this change – that calculation could change as time moves forward. The language of the Article also appears to give the Tax Administrator specific authority to forgo taxing PPP Loan forgiveness over $150,000 if the State receives federal funds earmarked for state revenue replacement. Governor McKee’s FY2022 Budget – What’s In It? Article 6 – Relating to Fees Article 6 proposes to change the following fees:
Article 6 also gives the Coastal Resource Management Council (CRMC) the authority to increase administrative penalties assessed. Existing law allows for a penalty up to $2500 for each violation and additional penalties up to $500 per day up to a maximum of $10,000. This Article increases the penalties to $10,000 for each violation and an additional penalty of up to $1000 per day up to $50,000. Article 9 – Economic Development The first five pages of Article 9 relates to education requirements and listing of Engineers in Rhode Island. The language can be found at: http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText21/HouseText21/Article-009.pdf Rebuild RI Tax Credit – the budget provides an additional $30 million to the program going from $210 million to $240 million The following programs were scheduled to sunset this year, but are extended in the budget for another 18 months:
Article 9 proposes some changes to the Small Business Development Loan Fund. This program was created in 2019 for companies that have less than 250 employees and not more than $15 million in net income. When a small business investor makes a capital investment in the fund, that person or entity is eligible for a tax credit. These credits can be assigned, transferred, or sold on the open market. The budget makes clear that only the owner or holder of the credit can transfer, assign or sell the credits. The Article also gives the state the ability to recapture tax credits by requiring the original applicant to pay back the state if the applicant fails to complete the program. This avoids loss to the state as it is difficult to recover loss from a transferee, assignee or purchaser who did so in an arms-length transaction. The loan program itself will also change. Under the proposal, Commerce RI would issue the first public solicitation for applicants by November 1, 2021. The application fee of $5,000 would change to a fee set by regulation. After the close of the public solicitation period, Commerce RI would make determinations and those determinations are final. The Article eliminates and applicant’s ability to appeal and submit further information if their application is incomplete. The following new bills have been filed: House Bill No. 6142 (Attorney General) Lima, Phillips, Carson, Caldwell, Serpa, Fellela, Fenton-Fung, Casey, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES (Penalty of $10,000 for violating Deceptive Trade Practices Act.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/HouseText21/H6142.pdf Senate Bill No. 629 Ruggerio, Euer, Goodwin, McCaffrey, Pearson, Miller, Gallo, DiPalma, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS-RENEWABLE ENERGY (Increases the percentage of retail electricity sales from renewable energy sources.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0629.pdf Senate Bill No. 630 Morgan, de la Cruz, AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW - GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS-CONSUMER PROTECTION FROM MANDATED INDEMNIFIED (LIABILITY-FREE) PRODUCTS (Prohibits mandating indemnified products to consumers in certain circumstances.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0630.pdf Senate Resolution No. 639 Mack, SENATE RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE CONVERSION OF RHODE ISLAND'S ECONOMY FROM MILITARISM TO CLIMATE RESILIENCY http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0639.pdf Senate Bill No. 640 Kallman, Cano, Quezada, Valverde, DiMario, Euer, Coyne, Seveney, Lombardo, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC FINANCE -- RHODE ISLAND SECURE CHOICE RETIREMENT SAVINGS PROGRAM ACT (Establishes the Rhode Island secure choice retirement savings program. Establishes a board which is a public corporation. Allows for creation of IRA-type retirement investments managed by the board.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0640.pdf Senate Bill No. 654 DiMario, Valverde, Kallman, Raptakis, Murray, Pearson, Quezada, Mendes, AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- SMALL BUSINESSES -- ZONING ORDINANCES http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0654.pdf Senate Bill No. 668 Mack, AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY – RESIDENTIAL RENT AND MORTGAGE CANCELLATION ACT OF 2021 http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0668.pdf Senate Bill No. 673 Lombardi, Coyne, AN ACT RELATING TO CORPORATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS -- PARTNERSHIPS--RHODE ISLAND PARTNERSHIP ACT (Enacts the Uniform Partnership Act of 1997, last amended in 2013, to govern the law of partnerships in this state and would repeal chapter 12 of title 7 entitled "Partnerships".) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0673.pdf Senate Bill No. 674 Lombardi, Coyne, AN ACT RELATING TO CORPORATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND PARTNERSHIPS -- THE RHODE ISLAND LIMITED PARTNERSHIP ACT (Enacts the Rhode Island Limited Partnership Act to govern the law of limited partnerships in this state and repeal chapter 12 of title 7 entitled "Limited Partnerships". Effective January 1, 2022.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0674.pdf Senate Bill No. 688 Lawson, Lombardo, Seveney, Quezada, Miller, Sosnowski, Cano, Pearson, Euer, Burke, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- TEMPORARY DISABILITY INSURANCE -- BENEFITS (Increases temporary caregiver benefits to six (6) weeks in a benefit year starting January 1, 2022 and would increase temporary caregiver benefits to eight (8) weeks in a benefit year beginning January 1, 2023.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0688.pdf Senate Bill No. 689 Mack, Calkin, Mendes, Euer, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WAGES (Increases minimum wage on October 1, 2021, to $13, gradually increases future wages to $16 in 2023.) http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText21/SenateText21/S0689.pdf |
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