Tracking the key issues: Where bills stand as General Assembly finishes for the season
As the General Assembly enters the final days of the legislative session, here's a look at where the big issues stand – which bills have cleared both chambers, which haven't, and which have been scheduled for a vote and could pass in the coming days.
Abortion
The Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, which allows Medicaid and state employee health insurance plans to cover abortion, passed the General Assembly in May and was signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee.
Cannabis
Legislation intended to speed up the process of allowing marijuana dispensaries to advertise outdoors has cleared the House. The Senate voted in concurrence on Thursday. It now heads to the governor's desk.
Coastal Resources Management Council
Efforts to move the Coastal Resource Management Council from a board of appointed officials to professional staff "came to a screeching halt" after reported discrepancies between the two versions and other issues.
The legislation follows anger over decisions to ignore staff recommendations and a closed-door agreement to allow a contentious marina expansion on Block Island.
Criminal justice
A House bill (H 5571) that would prevent judges from holding probation violators without bail was scheduled for a committee vote on Wednesday but was struck from the agenda and never taken up again.
A bill (S 812) to allow people on parole, serving a suspended sentence or who are on probation to serve on juries passed on the Senate floor on June 6 and passed in concurrence on the House floor on Thursday. It now heads to the governor's desk.
Disability pensions
Bills that would allow police officers and firefighters who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to retire and receive two-thirds disability pensions have passed the Senate, but isn’t scheduled for a vote in the House.
Both chambers have approved legislation that would provide those same benefits to any firefighters who develop hypertension or heart disease. It heads to the governor's desk.
Disposable foam packaging
Bills seeking to ban polystyrene take-out containers and plastic drink stirrers have cleared both chambers. The House passed the latest compromise bill (S 14, H 5090) on June 13. It passed in concurrence in the Senate on Thursday and heads to the governor's desk
Education
A Senate proposal (S 189) to sharply limit out-of-school suspensions died in the Senate Education committee.
Meanwhile, a joint resolution (S 72) to make education a constitutional right passed the Senate but died in the House State Government and Elections committee.
The House passed a resolution to establish its own study commission on school safety, which does not require Senate approval.
Free school meals
Bills (S 68, H 5639) that would provide free breakfast and lunch to public school students passed the Senate, but died in the House.
Guns
A raft of gun-related bills have been held for further study and died before coming up for a committee vote.
On the list: Legislation banning assault rifles, requiring guns to be stored in locked containers, requiring trigger locks for rifles and shotguns, arming campus police at public universities, and allowing pistols to be carried while deer hunting.
Housing
A dozen bills that were part of the House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi's legislative package to address the housing crisis have passed the House and awaiting action in the Senate. Out of that list, nine passed out of Senate committees on Wednesday and are headed to the governor's desk.
Among the bills that did not get heard was one to address zoning rules for accessory dwelling units.
Bills from the package that passed in the General Assembly are:
H 6085 and S 1033, require municipalities to update their comprehensive plans every five years and any plan older than 12 years can't be used to deny a zoning change
H 6084 and S 1052, which create a pilot program to fund projects around transit centers, like bus and train stations
H 6058 and S 1051, making changes the inclusionary zoning statute.
H 6060 and S 1053, creating a housing and land use court calendar
H 6059 and S 1032, which changes zoning standards
H 6090 and S 1035, allows developers to always turn commercial structures into housing
H 6081 and S 1037, which reduces the number of phases required to approve affordable housing
H 6086 and S 1038, standardizing notification procedures for permitting
H 6061 and S 1034, standardizing subdivision and land development permits
Human composting not coming to Rhode Island in 2023
Two bills to allow human composting as an alternative to burial and cremation died in the House Corporations committee in May.
iGaming and sports betting
Legislation that would allow Bally's to offer online gambling previously passed the Senate and the House passed two versions of the bill on Thursday, and according to a news release from General Assembly staff, it is headed to the governor's desk.
A Senate bill to allow betting on in-state college teams passed the House in concurrence on Wednesday. It passed the Senate in March.
Juneteenth, the newest holiday in Rhode Island
Juneteenth, which happens on June 19, will likely be made an official holiday after passing through the General Assembly.
LEOBOR (Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights)
A potential compromise on the Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights would add two civilians to the panel that judges misconduct complaints, and extend the number of days that police chiefs can suspend officers without pay. Senate Bill 1060, which would make those changes, passed a committee vote on Wednesday and passed on the Senate floor on Thursday.
It died in the House.
'Magic mushrooms'
A bill (H 5923) to legalize 'magic mushrooms,' those that have the psychedelic psilocybin, passed in the House on June 12.
The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it died without a hearing. The Senate version of the bill, introduced by Sen. Meghan Kallman, D-Pawtucket, was held for further study.
Minimum wage
A series of bills that dealt with the minimum wage and worker rights died in committee.
A bill that would end the exception to the minimum wage for domestic service workers passed in the House in May and was referred to the Senate Labor Committee, where it was never scheduled for a hearing.
Nips
A proposal to crack down on litter by creating a bottle deposit won't get a vote this year. Instead, the House and Senate plan to create a joint study commission to look at the issue.
Payday lending
A House bill (H 5160) aiming to put limits on the practice of payday lending passed on the House floor on Thursday but died in the Senate.
Political contributions
A bill that would double the maximum dollar amount for political donations passed the House. The Senate's version of the bill (S 846) passed on Wednesday, with a floor amendment by Dawn Euer (D-Newport, Jamestown) pushing out the start date to Jan. 1, 2024 and eliminating exceptions for self funding.
It passed in concurrence on the House floor on Thursday.
RIPTA
An attempt to fold the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority into the Department of Transportation was unsuccessful, but the General Assembly approved legislation that would make RIDOT director Peter Alviti the chair of RIPTA’s board. Bills that would extend fare-free transit on the R Line died.
Shoreline access
The House (H 5174) and Senate (S 417) each passed their own bills intended to clarify where people are allowed to use the shoreline. However, the two bills didn't match.
The House version of the bill has now been modified to match the Senate version and passed the Senate on Wednesday.
Both bills passed in concurrence on the House floor on Thursday night. It now heads to the governor's desk.
Short-term rental regulations
A series of bills that would further regulate short-term rentals, or allow municipalities to ban them, mostly died in committee. One bill, (H 5474) that would have removed the exemption from the state hotel tax for entire houses rented, made it to the House floor, only to be recommitted to the House Finance Committee.
Solar farms
Separate bills have passed in both the House (H 5853) and Senate to rein in deforestation caused by solar developments. Reconciled bills passed the General Assembly on Thursday and go to the governor's desk.
Taxing nonprofits
Bills introduced at the request of Providence Mayor Brett Smiley seek to allow the city to tax nonprofits that are renting space to commercial businesses.
The House has passed its version of the bill (H 5782), and the Senate passed its version (S 924) on Wednesday. The Senate's version passed in concurrence on the House floor on Thursday. It now heads to the governor's desk.
Tenant protections
In its final days, the General Assembly has approved multiple pieces of legislation intended to prevent tenants from lead poisoning, including bills that would create a rental registry, increase the penalties for lead violations, and allow tenants to put their rent in escrow until problems are fixed.
A bill that would ban rental application fees, S 311, passed through the General Assembly on Thursday.
A bill that would allow tenants to deduct more rent in order to pay for needed repairs heads to the governor's desk after it passed in concurrence on the House floor on Thursday.
Another bill passed on the Senate floor on Wednesday that would seal eviction court records (S 912). It passed in concurrence on the House floor, Thursday night, and is headed to the governor's desk.
Bills that died in committee were ones dealing with bedbugs (S 306), increasing the amount of notice that's required before a rent increase (S 365), creating a Tenant's Bill of Rights (S 914), capping rent increases, and prohibiting landlords from rejecting tenants on the basis of their criminal history (H 5760).
Wage theft
The General Assembly on Thursday passed a compromise bill (H 5902), a version of which was originally proposed by Attorney General Peter Neronha, to make wage theft a felony and create a new multistep process to investigate accusations of employees being improperly classified as independent contractors.
Theft above $1,500 would become a felony if signed by the governor.
Reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite contributed to this story.
This article will be updated as bills continue to make their way through the General Assembly.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Abortion, LEOBOR, shoreline access: What passed at the RI State House
