What is the legislature working on, in what is almost certain to be their final week in session? Well, for one thing, giving lots of bills getting House and Senate hearings at the same time:
Local Impact: Cranston 2, Exeter, Glocester, Middletown, North Providence, Portsmouth, Providence.
16. H7026: Allows the State Insurance Commissioner to grant “licenses to permit an experienced motor vehicle appraiser to act as a motor vehicle physical damage appraiser in this state without a Rhode Island license” in the event of an emergency (S Judiciary; Mon, Jun 11).
15. H8189: Bill from the unofficial board of directors of the RI Resource Recovery Corporation (i.e. the House of Representatives delegation from Johnston) prohibiting corporation facilities from using “construction and demolition debris” to cover compacted solid waste at a sanitary landfill (H Environment and Natural Resources; Mon, Jun 11).
14. S2962: Resolution asking the Federal government to lift its ban on sports betting and other forms of wagering in states where it’s not currently allowed (like Rhode Island) (S Special Legislation and Veterans’ Affairs; Mon, Jun 11).
13. H7721/S2465: Increases the surcharge on rental vehicle contracts from 6% to 8% (H Finance; Mon, Jun 11 & S Finance; Mon Jun 11).
12. S2395/H7910: Requires monitoring for the Johnston landfill, specifically for “the presence of odorous contaminants from landfill gas” (H Environment and Natural Resources; Mon, Jun 11 & S Environment & Agriculture, Mon, Jun 11).
11. H8110/S2969: Eliminates a section in the law governing state lotteries that says, after prizes and operating costs have been paid, that “the amount to be transferred into the general revenue fund” from what remains “shall equal no less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total revenue received and accrued from the sale of lottery tickets plus any other income earned from the lottery…but the amount transferred into the general revenue fund shall equal no less than fifteen percent (15%) of the total Keno revenue received”, and doesn’t replace it with anything (H Finance; Mon, Jun 11 & S Finance; Mon, Jun 11). OK, then how much does the state get?
10. H8195: Removes the exemption from “all taxation” of the real and personal property of Bryant University “used exclusively for educational purposes” (H Finance; Mon, Jun 11).
9. S2411: “No application for any license or employment from any public agency or private employer shall be denied by reason of the applicant’s having been previously convicted of one or more criminal offenses”, with some exceptions (S Judiciary; Mon, Jun 11).