Legislative Updates Final 2026 Legislative Wrap-up, Or Is It? In this, hopefully the last 2026 edition of Advocacy in Action, we provide you with a list of bills that have become law in 2026, along with the effective dates of the new laws.  The legislature finished its work June 11, 2026. Since then, the General…

Legislative Updates Advocacy in Action June 8, 2026   Anticipated Final Week at the State House The General Assembly hopes to complete its work for the 2026 session this week, likely by Thursday. This edition of Advocacy in Action includes legislation scheduled for actions this week as of Sunday night. The House and Senate may…

Legislative Updates Last Week at the State House   Friday night, May 29th, the House Finance Committee passed its version of the State’s FY2027 budget.  The $15.2 billion plan raises additional revenue, increases expenditures in a variety of categories and asks the voters for approval to bond $600 million for projects.  This represents a 6.2%…

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…

Legislative Updates Advocacy in Action May 18, 2026     This Week at the State House   Tuesday, May 19th       The House Committee on Environment & Natural Resources is meeting at the Rise (approximately 4:45pm) to vote on a building benchmarking bill and to hear testimony related to black takeout containers.  …

Legislative Updates Advocacy in Action May 11, 2026     Speaker Shekarchi Hands Gavel to Speaker Blazejewski   Thursday May 7th, Speaker Joe Shekarchi resigned his position of Speaker as he submitted his application for Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice. Speaker Shekarchi served as Speaker of the House for six years, being known for his…

Legislative Updates This Week at the State House   Tuesday, May 5th     World Cup Extended Service Hours   The House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday on H 8009A, and the Seante is scheduled to vote on Thursday on S 2627A, legislation to enable extended service hours to provide public watch opportunities for…

Legislative Updates Advocacy in Action April 27, 2026     This Week at the State House   Tuesday, April 28th     Business Identify Theft and Deceptive Solicitations   The Senate Commerce Committee will meet at the Rise (~5pm) in Room 212 for a hearing on S 3212, and the House Corporations Committee will meet…

Legislative Updates Advocacy in Action April 20, 2026     This Week at the State House   The General Assembly is observing spring recess this week (April 20-25).  Legislative hearings will resume April 28th.  To date, 2700 bills have been introduced.  The Chamber is actively tracking 232 bills covering issues such as: labor, taxes, energy,…

Legislative Updates Advocacy in Action April 6, 2026   This Week at the State House   Tuesday, April 7th     Attorney General Authority Over Businesses   The breadth of the Attorney General’s authority is a topic of discussion for the House Committee on State Government & Elections Committee at the Rise on Tuesday.  H.7993,…

Legislative Updates Advocacy in Action March 23, 2026   This Week at the State House     Tuesday, March 24th   A number of bills will be heard in the Senate Commerce Committee at the Rise (approximately 4:30 pm) in Room 212.  Testimony regarding these matters can be submitted to: slegislation@rilegislature.gov   Credit Card Fees…

Legislative Updates Advocacy in Action March 16, 2026     This Week at the State House     Wednesday, March 18th   Payment of Wages   On Wednesday at 4pm in Room 101, the House Labor Committee will convene for hearings on a few bills impacting payment of wages, including changes to minimum wage. Testimony…