An Update from the State House 1.4.19

Welcome to the first edition of Under the Dome 2019! 

January 1, 2019, rang in a new year and a new legislative session.  Rep. Nicholas Mattiello was elected Speaker of the House and Sen. Dominick Ruggerio was elected Senate President.
In the coming weeks, committee assignments will be made, new committee chairs will be named, legislation will be filed, and hearings will be held.  During the upcoming year, the Chamber may ask you to contact your legislators when the need arises.  Please go to the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s web page, https://vote.sos.ri.gov/ and enter your information as requested (if you live in Rhode Island), so that you will know who represents you as a State Representative and a State Senator.  Thank you for your help!
 
Legislative Calendar
The calendar for 2019 has been released.  The key dates to keep in mind are:
Opening Day                                                               January 1, 2019
Last Day for Senate Public Bill Introduction             February 14, 2019
Last Day for House Public Bill Introduction             February 14, 2019
Winter Break                                                               February 18-22, 2019
Spring Recess                                                              April 15-19, 2019
 
The following bills were filed last week:
House Bill No. 5012  (McEntee, Craven, Ucci, Tobon)  AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MISCELLANEOUS RULES--MOTOR VEHICLE OFFENSES (Amends towing storage act and clarifies towing and storage issues.)
 
House Bill No. 5024  (Edwards, Newberry, Filippi, Corvese, Johnston), AN ACT RELATING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY - JOINT COMMITTEE OF THE REPEALER (Creates the joint committee of the repealer to compile suggestions for repeal of statutes, regulations, and executive orders received from citizens, businesses, and government agencies.)
 
House Bill No. 5036  (Ruggiero, Azzinaro, McNamara, Abney, Marszalkowski), AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS - DISABILITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES (Expands the existing disability business enterprises program by allowing Veterans' Affairs, the Social Security Administration and others to verify that a business owner has a disability and is eligible for the current program.)