Coming up in Committee: Nineteen Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, April 3 - April 5, Part 1

Local Impact: Barrington, Middletown/Newport, Pawtucket, 2 3 4, North Providence, Portsmouth, Providence, Warren 2.

19. A potpourri of bills illustrating that no matter what the top issues of the day are in the State of Rhode Island, no subject is too small to escape the General Assembly's attention...

• H7791: From the official description: "This act would provide that the price for propane gas would be expressed in terms of the sum of any fees divided by the number of gallons delivered" (H Corporations; Tue, Apr 3).
• H7590: Adds arboriculture and production of wood mulch to the "Right to Farm" section of state law (H Environment and Natural Resources; Thu, Apr 5).
• H7674: The base used for pre-calculated gratuities at restaurants is not to include "any applicable taxes" (H Corporations; Wed, Apr 4).
• S2703: A rewrite of horse racing, jai alai and other gaming regulations submitted by the Attorney General (S Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs; Wed, Apr 4).
• S2691: Employers would be given the option of observing holidays that fall on Sundays on a later date in the calendar year (S Labor; Wed, Apr 4).

18. S2270/S2271/S2272: Changes to the state's motion-picture tax credits (S Finance; Thu, Apr 5).

17. H7801: Provisions for the removal of derelict and abandoned vessels in state waterways (H Environment and Natural Resources; Thu, Apr 5). You mean we don't have provisions for this already?

16. H7193: Prohibits "educational level or homeowner status" from being used in the determination of automobile insurance rates (H Corporations; Wed, Apr 4).

15. S2307: Repeal of the section of the law allowing pay-day lenders to operate in Rhode Island; S2832: would allow pay-day lenders to continue to operate, while tightening their regulation (S Corporations; Tue, Apr 3).

14. H7282/H7357: Prohibits charging fees for debit card usage (H Corporations; Wed, Apr 4).

13B. H7359: Allows out-of-state businesses to operate in RI during a declared disaster without being immediately treated, for purposes of taxation and regulation, as having opened a branch office in RI (H Corporations; Wed, Apr 4).

13A. H7409: A prohibition on price gouging of essential commodities "upon a declaration of a state of emergency by the governor, or federal disaster declaration by the president, or during an actual or anticipated market emergency" (H Corporations; Wed, Apr 4).

12. H7060: An extension of parts of campaign finance regulation to local financial town meetings and referendums (H Judiciary; Tue, Apr 3).

11. S2318: Changes the allocation of state aid to charter schools for capital costs (S Finance; Tue, Apr 3).

10. S2374: Raises the minimum wage to $7.75 per hour beginning in 2014, then raises it on an annual basis according to the rate of inflation (S Labor; Wed, Apr 4).

9. Several bills submitted at the request of the Attorney General, including increased sentences for crimes committed in association with "criminal street gangs" (H7843), the use of an "ignition interlock system" being part of the possible sentence for driving-under-the-influence (H7332), and a new section of law defining crimes against the public trust which carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine (H7755) (H Judiciary; Wed, Apr 4).