Watch List - 2020
ECRI may or may not have an official stance on these bills. People interested in tracking legislation during the session are encouraged to sign up for an account in the General Assembly's Bill Tracker system.
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Bill Title | House Bill # & Sponsor | Senate Bill & Sponsor | House Committee | Senate Committee | House Bill Status | Senate Bill Status | ECRI Position | Updated date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bottle Bill – 10¢ Deposit on Bottles Creates a refundable ten cent ($0.10) deposit for non-reusable beverage containers. |
2513 Mark P. McKenney |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:16pm | |||
Commuter Transportation Benefit Act Establishes the Commuter Transportation Benefit Act such that employers with five hundred (500) or more employees would provide a pre-tax transportation fringe benefit program or provide transportation to their employees. |
2705 Valarie J. Lawson |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Labor | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:13pm | |||
Resilient RI Act of 2014 - Act on Climate 2020 This bill puts Rhode Island on a path toward net-zero emissions by 2050. It also requires transparency and accountability, by making our targets legally binding and enforceable. |
7399 Christopher R. Blazejewski |
2165 Dawn Euer |
Deferred | In Committee |
Legislative Priority ** |
07/20/2022 - 10:57am | ||
Idling Would expand the prohibition against idling of engines to include all types of engines, not just diesel engines. |
2111 V. Susan Sosnowski |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:10pm | |||
Bus Lane Travel Fine Makes it a violation to use bus lanes while driving a car. |
7622 Scott Slater |
10/28/2020 - 5:12pm | ||||||
Study of Reorganization of Rhode Island CRMC Amends the membership of the special Senate Commission to study the effect and procedures for the reorganization of the CRMC from 15 to 11, and extends the reporting and expiration dates from January 2, 2020, to June 9, 2020, and expires on January 12, 2021. |
2026 V. Susan Sosnowski |
Passed Senate - Sent to House |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:55pm | ||||
Creating a New Water Resources Board Establishes a new Rhode Island water authority consisting of eleven (11) members. The water authority would be established as a new quasi-public corporation and would assume all the duties and powers of the old water resources board. The act would repeal all statutory provisions regarding or relating to the water resources board. |
2640 V. Susan Sosnowski |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | In Committee | 10/28/2020 - 5:21pm | ||||
CRMC Member Appointed by Governor Authorizes the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint an executive director of Coastal Resources Management Council to act as a liaison to the Director of the Department of Environmental Management to plan and manage coastal resources. |
2637 V. Susan Sosnowski |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:50pm | |||
Creating a New Park or Conservation Land Creates a voluntary mechanism for municipalities to use to dedicate a park, conservation or other land they own as public trust land in perpetuity to protect and preserve its future use. |
2469 Dawn Euer |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:04pm | |||
Conservation Easement Enabling Legislation Requires conservation and preservation restrictions to be liberally interpreted in favor of the grants awarded. |
2426 Louis P. DiPalma |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Judiciary | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:00pm | |||
Tax Credit to Homeowner as Incentive to do Sewer over Septic Allows a one-time non-refundable tax credit to the owner of real property for the costs of connecting to a municipal sewer system. |
2215 Mark P. McKenney |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Finance | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:21pm | |||
Adds "Cigarette Butts" to the Definition of "Litter" Re: Litter Control & Recycling, this bill adds "cigarette butts" to the definition of "litter". |
2195 Hanna M. Gallo |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:15pm | |||
Prohibits Non-Native, Invasive Plants Prohibits the importation, transportation, disbursement, distribution, sale, purchase, or possession of any species of non-native (exotic) invasive plants. |
2110 Erin P. Lynch Prata |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:06pm | |||
Energy Facility Siting Regulation This bill states that applicants/licensees for fossil fuel electricity generating facilities must invest in renewable energy facilities in conjunction with their fossil fuel facility construction. |
2192 Joshua Miller |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | In Committee | 10/28/2020 - 12:14pm | ||||
100% Renewable Energy; Lead By Example This bill requires the state, including all its agencies and departments, to purchase one hundred percent (100%) of their energy needs from renewable sources by January 1, 2031. |
2638 Bridget G. Valverde |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:10pm | |||
Economic & Climate Resilience Act of 2020 This bill creates a fee on companies that sell fossil fuels in Rhode Island and establishes an "economic and climate resilience fund" to disburse the collected funds to all residents and businesses in RI for climate resilience, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation programs, including low-income residents and small businesses. |
2108 V. Susan Sosnowski |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:13pm | |||
Prohibited Release of Balloons This bill would prohibit the intentional release of a balloon inflated with lighter-than-air gas. The prohibition would not apply to: a balloon released for scientific or metrological purposes on behalf of a governmental agency or pursuant to a governmental contract; a hot air balloon that is recovered after launching; or a balloon that is released and remains indoors. |
7261 Susan R. Donovan |
2191 V. Susan Sosnowski |
Deferred | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda ** |
08/19/2022 - 9:35am | ||
Fines for Drivers Who Injure Vulnerable Road Users Provides for fines and sanctions to operators of motor vehicles who fail to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a vulnerable road user causing injury, serious injury, or death to the vulnerable road user. |
2082 Stephen R. Archambault |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Judiciary | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:53pm | |||
100% Renewable Energy Standard Sets new renewable energy standards which increase annually beginning in 2021 so that by 2030 all obligated entities shall obtain 100% of electricity sold at retail to Rhode Island end-use customers from eligible renewable-energy resources. |
2404 Joshua Miller |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:11pm | |||
Prohibits Polystyrene Food Packaging Prohibits a covered establishment from preparing, selling, processing or providing food or beverages in or on a disposable food service container that is composed in whole or in part of polystyrene foam. |
2636 Joshua Miller |
2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:20pm | |||
Tax Incentive for Connecting to a Sewer System This bill allows real property owners a one-time non-refundable tax credit for the actual costs of connecting a single family or multi-family dwelling to a municipal sewer system credited to the owner's personal or corporate income tax. |
7406 Joseph J. Solomon Jr. |
2019-2020 House Committee on Finance | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:57pm | |||
Ocean State Climate Adaptation Fund (OSCAR) This bill establishes the Ocean State Climate Adaptation and Resilience Fund (OSCAR) which allows municipalities and the state to apply for grants to improve public safety and community climate resilience for coastal habitats, as well as river and stream floodplains. |
7165 Camille F.J. Vella Wilkinson |
2194 Erin P. Lynch Prata |
2019-2020 House Committee on Finance | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | In Committee | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:02pm |
Promotes Roof Solar Installations on School Property Establishes a pilot program to promote the creation of roof solar installations on school property to generate electricity for school buildings in order to reduce the use of fossil fuels. |
7459 Alex D. Marszalkowski |
2019-2020 House Committee on Finance | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:03pm | |||
Open Space Bond Resolution This Resolution provides for a voter referendum to seek approval of bonds not to exceed $4,000,000 and for a state Local Land Acquisition Matching Grant Program for open space and land conservation. |
7676 Scott Slater |
2019-2020 House Committee on Finance | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:02pm | |||
State Fleet Electrification This bill defines "light duty", "non-emergency" and "zero emission" vehicles and would require the state to convert its fleet of vehicles to no less than fifty percent (50%) of vehicles in those categories by the year 2028. |
7680 Edith H. Ajello |
2365 James A. Seveney |
2019-2020 House Committee on Finance | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Finance | In Committee | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:07pm |
Climate Crisis Curriculum House Resolution Requesting That The Rhode Island Department Of Education Develop A Set Of Key Environmental And Climate Principles And Concepts To Be Infused In All Subjects For K-12 Public School Students. |
7471 Terri Cortvriend |
2019-2020 House Committee on Health, Education, and Welfare | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:01pm | |||
School Waste Recycling and Refuse Disposal This bill requires schools to comply with recycling & composting laws and promotes the donation of unspoiled nonperishable food by schools. |
7507 Lauren Carson |
2019-2020 House Committee on Health, Education, and Welfare | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:03pm | |||
Drug Take-back Program Requires drug manufactures to establish fund and manage state approved drug take back programs, free of charge to the consumer and pharmacy. |
7128 Arthur J. Corvese |
2019-2020 House Committee on Health, Education, and Welfare | In Committee | 10/28/2020 - 5:09pm | ||||
Penalties on Careless Motorists for Injuring Vulnerable Road Users Provides for fines and sanctions to operators of motor vehicles who fail to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a vulnerable road user causing injury, serious injury, or death to the vulnerable road user. |
7259 Joseph M. McNamara |
2082 Stephen R. Archambault |
2019-2020 House Committee on Judiciary | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Judiciary | Voted out of Committee | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:54pm |
Conservation and Preservation Restrictions on Real Property Requires conservation and preservation restrictions to be liberally interpreted in favor of the grants awarded. |
7245 Christopher R. Blazejewski |
2019-2020 House Committee on Judiciary | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:59pm | |||
Prohibits Development Near State House Prohibits any development of land contiguous to the State House unless approved by the general assembly. |
7210 Joseph J. Solomon Jr. |
2019-2020 House Committee on Judiciary | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:06pm | |||
Climate Issues – Part of Long-Term Economic Planning This bill adds climate change/sea-level rise/coastal resiliency to data analysis in long-term economic planning. Changes number of members of the economic development planning council from 17 to 19 by adding the Directors of Environmental Management and Coastal Resources Council. |
7174 Christopher R. Blazejewski |
2019-2020 House Committee on Small Business | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:48pm | |||
Creating a New Park or Conservation Land Creates a voluntary mechanism for municipalities to use to dedicate a park, conservation or other land they own as public trust land in perpetuity to protect and preserve its future use. |
7348 John G. Edwards |
2019-2020 House Committee on Municipal Government | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:04pm | |||
Coastal & Riverine Home Protection Enables cities & towns to provide a tax exemption to individuals who take resiliency measures to rehabilitate their property because of flood hazards. |
7083 Julie A. Casimiro |
2019-2020 House Committee on Municipal Government | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:58pm | |||
RI Cesspool Act of 2007 Amends the 2007 Cesspool Act by exempting a residential homeowner who has abandoned an on-site system from obtaining a contractor to pump out and to fill in with material, as long as the residential homeowner has taken the necessary steps to secure the abandoned on-site system. |
7052 Sherry Roberts |
2019-2020 House Committee on Municipal Government | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Oppose* |
10/28/2020 - 5:06pm | |||
No Styrofoam in Food Service Containers Prohibits the preparing, selling, processing or providing food or beverages in or on a disposable food service container that is composed in whole or in part of polystyrene foam. |
7164 David A. Bennett |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:19pm | |||
Residential Solar Energy Bill of Rights Grants residential purchasers of solar energy systems protections and disclosures in the retail sale/lease documents as well as the right to cancel/rescind the agreement within ninety (90) days prior to installation and notice of any liens filed against their residential property. |
7217 Joseph M. McNamara |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:15pm | |||
Bottle Bill – 5¢ Deposit on Bottles Creates a refundable five cent ($0.05) deposit for non-reusable beverage containers. A one cent ($0.01) handling fee would be paid by distributors. |
7611 Carol Hagan McEntee |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred | 10/28/2020 - 5:17pm | ||||
Establishes Limits on PFAS in Water Instructs the Department of Health to establish maximum PFAS levels in water. |
7216 June S. Speakman |
2235 Erin P. Lynch Prata |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Health and Human Services | Deferred | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:22pm |
Prohibiting Artificial Propagation of Game Prohibits captive hunting/possession, sale, breeding, importation of any mammal for purpose of captive hunting. |
7308 William W. O'Brien |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:03pm | |||
Prohibiting Import of Wild Animals into RI Prohibits the practice of importing a wild animal into Rhode Island, where the animal is not native or indigenous to RI, for the purpose of conducting canned hunting. |
7305 Joseph M. McNamara |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:03pm | |||
Alternative Procedure for Approval of Freshwater Wetlands Alteration Applications This bill would require DEM to pay for other engineers to conduct a wetland evaluation if they don't get to it within statutory timelines on their own. |
7867 Michael W. Chippendale |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Oppose* |
10/28/2020 - 4:46pm | |||
Control of Mosquitoes and Ticks Act This bill establishes a program to control mosquitoes and ticks by the Dept of Health & DEM to coordinate the state's response to combatting the spread of mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases. It engages stakeholders before aerial spraying for mosquitos and ticks; monitor afterwards. |
7870 Robert E. Craven Sr. |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:49pm | |||
Neonicotinoid Ban This bill would prohibit the use of neonicotinoids, which are a class of insecticides. |
7425 Joseph M. McNamara |
2403 Joshua Miller |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | Deferred | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:11pm |
EFSA Amendments This bill increases the membership of the Energy Facility Siting Board from three (3) to five (5) members and would revise the process of energy facility siting to mandate inclusion and participation of the public and cities and towns. |
7930 John G. Edwards |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred | 10/28/2020 - 4:51pm | ||||
RI Energy Resources Act: Solar Siting This bill allows for the establishment of comprehensive solar energy siting ordinances in each municipality of the state. |
7426 June S. Speakman |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:08pm | |||
Marine Fisheries Council This bill would assign the regulatory jurisdiction over all marine animal species within the jurisdictional territory of the state to the Marine Fisheries Council. |
7874 Carol Hagan McEntee |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred | 10/28/2020 - 12:16pm | ||||
Composting Facilities This bill requires businesses & educational facilities that produce at least fifty-two (52) tons of organic-waste yearly and are located within thirty (30) miles of an authorized composting facility to use authorized methods of recycling. |
7868 Deborah Ruggiero |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:18pm | |||
RI Cesspool Act of 2007 – Extended This bill would allow DEM to extend certain deadlines for required sewer construction in the replacement of cesspools, but would not extend them beyond January 1, 2025. |
7331 John G. Edwards |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | In Committee | 10/28/2020 - 5:07pm | ||||
Plastic Waste Reduction Act To reduce the use of plastic bags by retail establishments by offering recyclable bag options and providing penalties for violations. |
7306 Carol Hagan McEntee |
2003 Dominick J. Ruggerio |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | Deferred | Senate Vote |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:19pm |
Prohibition of PFAS in Food Packaging Act This bill would prohibit PFAS, a class of fluorinated organic chemicals, from being used in food packaging. |
7307 Terri Cortvriend |
2068 Adam J. Satchell |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Health and Human Services | Deferred | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 4:58pm |
Energy & Water Efficiency Standards This bill would establish minimum energy & water efficiency standards for appliances and specified equipment purchased or installed after July 1, 2021. |
7866 Arthur Handy |
2043 Adam J. Satchell |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | Deferred | In Committee |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:05pm |
"Ask First" Plastic Straw Bill This bill prohibits food service establishments from providing plastic straws, unless requested by the consumer. |
7163 David A. Bennett |
2019-2020 House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 5:14pm | |||
Community Remote Net Metering Expansion Allows new applicants for net-metering systems to increase the maximum mega wattage from thirty (30 MW) to sixty megawatts (60 MW). |
7280 Carlos E. Tobon |
2109 V. Susan Sosnowski |
2019-2020 House Committee on Corporations | 2019-2020 Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture | Deferred | Deferred | 10/30/2020 - 2:37pm | |
Non-Regulated Power Producer Consumer Bill of Rights Each non-regulated power producer, except governmental bodies, will provide the potential residential customer with a complete "Bill of Rights" prior to the initiation of electric-generation services. |
7110 Deborah Ruggiero |
2019-2020 House Committee on Corporations | Deferred |
Legislative Agenda *Support* |
10/28/2020 - 12:15pm |