Legislative Updates
Tuesday, May 26th
House Vote on Building Benchmarking
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a building benchmarking bill, H.7183, which creates an energy reporting requirement for residential, commercial and industrial buildings with twenty-five thousand gross square feet or more. As written, the following information must be provided to the Office of Energy Resources (OER) beginning 5/18/28 for buildings greater than 50,000 sq. ft., and 5/15/30 for buildings greater than 25,000 sq. ft.: property address, primary use, gross floor area, annual energy use, source of energy use, annual greenhouse gas emissions, and a statement of compliance or noncompliance with the statute. Exemptions are available for vacant buildings, buildings possessing a demolition permit and buildings with no energy services provided. OER is required to collect the data and to post building specific information on its website, as well as “Progress against baseline year data for intervening years for both energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.” H.7183, under the enforcement provision, allows OER to withhold grants and Infrastructure Bank monies from buildings that fail to comply with reporting requirements or “decarbonization efforts.” No other sections of the bill provide OER with the ability to implement decarbonization requirements based on the results of the benchmarking reports. Bills in previous years have included such explicit authority. Lastly, any municipality currently implementing a reporting program (Providence) may continue to do so and submit its information to OER - relieving building owners from a double reporting requirement. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7183.pdf
Senate Labor Committee Votes on Employment Legislation
The Senate Labor & Gaming Committee is scheduled to consider various bills impacting employers at 3:30pm in room 212.
S 2502 exposes employers to liability for workplace bullying. This legislation establishes an obligation on employers to create a work environment free from what “a reasonable person would consider threatening, hostile, or abusive and that unreasonably interferes with the target’s ability to perform job duties. Conduct may include false accusations, sabotage of work performance, consistent ignoring or ostracism, removal of major responsibilities, consistent unreasonable workloads, excessive monitoring…persistent hypercriticism, impossible deadlines…” These words can mean different things to different people, leaving everyone wondering what they can and cannot do or say in the workplace. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2502.pdf
S 2504 requires employers to provide each employee of a warehouse distribution center, upon hire, with written description of quotas applicable to the employee within defined time periods; and requires employers to provide information concerning adverse employment actions that an employee might face for failure to meet the quota.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2504.pdf
S 2737A would expand temporary care giver leave to include a grandchild and care recipient (defined as a person for whom the employee is responsible for providing or arranging health or safety related care), increases the benefit period from 8 weeks to 10 weeks for 2027 and 12 weeks for 2028. The substitute A removes the opt-in for TDI/TCI for self-employed workers but requires DLT to study how to implement such a program.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/Proposed26/S2737A.pdf
S 2924 would allow employees, not represented by a union, to create a group to collectively bargain with employers that would initiate an election by the signing of file cards by 30% of a unit, and for a majority of unit employees voting to determine representation, which may not necessarily constitute the majority of employees of the unit itself.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2924.pdf
Delinquent Tax Penalty Relief
The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to conduct hearings on legislation to relieving tax penalties on delinquent taxes in Room 211 at the Rise (~5pm). Testimony on these bills can be sent to: SenateFinance@rilegislature.gov.
S 2370 authorizes the tax administrator to waive interest and penalties on delinquent taxes paid in full during a one-week amnesty period each year. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2370.pdf
S 2847 caps the interest rate for all delinquent taxes at 12% and limits the authority to audit taxpayers to 3 years from the date of filing.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2847.pdf
Grocery Store Restrictive Covenants
The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on companion legislation H 8106 and S 2644, which were introduced at the request of Lt. Governor Sabina Matos, and would prohibit restrictive covenants related to grocery stores.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H8106.pdf
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2644.pdf
Wednesday, May 27th
Recycling Reforms
The House Environment and Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to meet in the House Lounge at 4pm to hear testimony on legislation proposing reforms to the recycling of packaging, paper products, and beverage containers. Testimony on these bills can be sent to: HouseEnvironmentandNaturalResources@rilegislature.gov.
H 7910 establishes an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for packaging and paper, mandating producers to fund municipal recycling programs and improve their effectiveness. H 7911 establishes an EPR program combined with a beverage container redemption and recycling refund system. It would create a 10 cent deposit on designated beverage containers that consumers can recover through a centralized network of locations established across the state. It does not require any retailer to be a redemption center, and would not apply to beverage containers consumed on premise that work with the recycling refund producer responsibility organization.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7910.pdf
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7911.pdf
Thursday, May 28th
Extended Service Hours for World Cup
H 8009A and S 2627A are scheduled for votes in concurrence and would then be sent to Governor McKee for his approval. Under these bills, municipalities are authorized to grant temporary extended service hours to provide public watch opportunities for certain FIFA World Cup Tournament matches that occur late night. Business operators could apply to their local licensing authority 14 days in advance of certain late night game nights to serve liquor up to 3am and close by 4am.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2627A.pdf
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H8009A.pdf
Taxation of Corporations, Sales, Meals & Beverages, Gratuities & Overtime
The Senate Finance Committee will meet at the Rise in Room 211 on various changes to tax policy. Testimony on these bills may be submitted to SenateFinance@rilegislature.gov.
S 2022 would eliminate the corporate minimum tax (currently $400 per year).
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2022.pdf
S 2028 proposes creating a digital advertising services tax to fund RIPTA, resiliency, housing development, universal school lunch, and support the state general fund.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2028.pdf
S 2082 would phase out the 1% meal and beverage tax by 0.25% each year until repealed in 2030.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2082.pdf
S 3017 would align RI with federal tax policy, providing for a modification to state taxes for gratuity income up to $25,000 and overtime income up to $12,500.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S3017.pdf
New Introductions
House Bill No. 8562 BY Blazejewski, Kazarian, Hull, Caldwell, Shanley, Lima, Cotter, Spears, Azzinaro, Nardone
Establishes the office of inspector general to investigate the management and operation of agencies to prevent and deter fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement in the expenditure of public funds.
House Bill No. 8578 BY O'Brien, Dawson, Caldwell, McEntee, Corvese, Slater, Diaz, Bennett, Kennedy, Azzinaro
Provides workplace protection for family caregivers. It also provides for enforcement and remedies through the human rights commission.