2017 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION RECESSES

After abruptly recessing on Friday, June 30, leaving the fate of many bills in limbo, both the House and Senate returned on Tuesday, September 19, to recess the 2017 session in a more historically traditional fashion.  Although the Senate had subsequently met on August 3 to vote on the state budget legislation, the September 19th session saw scores of bills, held in limbo since June 30, get voted on by both chambers and sent to the Governor’s office for her approval or disapproval.

The 2017 session will most likely be remembered for Article 11 of the state budget legislation (H 5175 Sub A As Amended) which begins gradually eliminating the excise car tax in Rhode Island through 2023, with the tax to be completely eliminated in 2024.  Under Article 11, cars that are fifteen (15) years or older will no longer be taxed, and, cities and towns will be reimbursed for lost revenue (a cost of approximately $26 million in 2018).

The major reason for this session’s unconventional recess in June was due to the Senate’s concern that the car tax elimination language, passed by the House in the budget legislation, may not be sustainable through 2023.  As a result, in a historically rare move, the Senate amended the budget to include language which would have essentially frozen the car tax elimination if the economy sours between now and 2023.  This did not sit well with the House leadership which, on June 30, sent their members home.

During the month of July, with cooler heads prevailing, the Senate agreed to restore the budget to the original House passed language and also subsequently introduced S 1011.  S 1011 requires the Director of the Department of Revenue, beginning on January 1, 2021, to file an annual report with the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and chairpersons of the Senate and House Finance Committee.  This report is to contain recommendations and findings addressing the feasibility of the motor vehicle excise tax phase-out in each year until the phase-out is complete.  S 1011 A was introduced and voted on by the Senate when they met on August 3 and was approved by the House during the September 19th session.

Among other noteworthy provisions in the state budget legislation are the following provisions:

• A 90 cent increase in the minimum wage over two years making it $10.10 per hour on January 1, 2018, and $10.50 on January 1, 2019
   
• A 50 cent increase in the per pack cigarette tax (from $3.75 to $4.25)
   
• A four year pilot program to provide two years of free tuition to students at the Community College of Rhode Island
  
  
• To help close a $134 million budget deficit, the budget also requires the Governor to make $25 million in departmental cuts.

Aside from the budget legislation, other noteworthy bills passed by the General Assembly in 2017 include the following:

Paid Sick Leave—Requires employers with eighteen (18) or more employees to provide three (3) paid sick days in 2018, four (4) paid sick days in 2019, and five (5) paid sick days thereafter (effective July 1, 2018).

Gun Rights—Limits access to firearms when an individual is under certain types of domestic restraining orders or protective orders issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2017.

Climate Change—Directs the state’s climate change coordinating council to study the effectiveness of a state and/or multi-state carbon pricing program to incentivize institutions and industry to reduce carbon emissions. 

Justice Reinvestment-- After passing the full Senate but not the House during the 2016 session, the Council of State Governments (CSG) justice reinvestment package of bills, which effect reforms to Rhode Island’s probation and prole system, finally passed both the Senate and the House in 2017.

Hospital Conversions—In view of the proposed Care New England and Partners HealthCare merger, and Care New England’s desire to sell Memorial Hospital, this act streamlines the procedure for the approval of mergers and non-profit hospitals and unaffiliated community hospitals in Rhode Island.

Pawtucket Red Sox—Although no legislation dealing with the financing of a new PawSox stadium was passed, the Senate Finance Committee is holding public hearings throughout the state through mid-October to solicit public input on the financing and construction of a new stadium in Pawtucket.

The 2017 session will also be remembered for longtime Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed announcing, on March 23, 2017, that she would be leaving her Senate seat in order to become president of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island.  Elected in 1992, Paiva Weed had served as Senate President since January, 2009.  In departing as Senate President, Paiva Weed was succeeded by (former) Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio.  President Ruggerio’s role as Senate Majority Leader was filled by (former) Senate Judiciary Chairman, Michael McCaffrey.  A special election was held in August in order to fill Teresa Paiva Weed’s District 13 Senate seat.  Voters in Newport and Jamestown elected Dawn Euer.  Ms. Euer was sworn in on September 5.

Over the course of the next several weeks, those bills that were passed by the General Assembly may now be transmitted to the Governor.  Once a bill is transmitted to the Governor, she has the option of signing it into law, vetoing it, or allowing it to become law without her signature.

Once the Governor has taken action on all of those bills transmitted to her office, the PLDO Government & Legislative Strategies Team will be preparing a more detailed report outlining the final status of top legislation.

While we’ve updated our clients on the status of various bills, below is the link to the 2017 Public Laws List from the General Assembly’s Web site.  Here you will be able to find a list of those bills passed by the General Assembly in 2017 which have already become law.  The list can be viewed by three sorts: Chapter Number, Bill Number, and Subject.

http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Lawrevision/plshort/pl2017nu.htm

Please keep in mind that this site will continue to be updated over the next several weeks as bills passed by the General Assembly are transmitted to the Governor and she takes action on them.

Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC has extensive experience as a legislative advocate for clients in the private and public sectors. Our experience and deep understanding of our clients' operations and the issues facing them enables us to communicate effectively to legislators and state agencies. For more information about PLDO's government relations capabilities and services, please contact our firm at (401) 824-5100.

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