Rhode Island Rep. James N. McLaughlin

RI - Environment and Natural Resources (House)

Title:

Member

RI - Health and Human Services (House)

Title:

First Vice Chair

RI - Veterans' Affairs (House)

Title:

Second Vice Chair

RI - HB7498 AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- RETIREMENT SYSTEM -- MEMBERSHIP AND SERVICE CREDITS (Exempts active members of the retirement system employed as a state public safety professional and/or a municipal police officer, from the cost to purchase retirement credit for their military service and interest charges.)

RI - HR7458 HOUSE RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE FETUS AS A HUMAN LIFE UPON THE EXISTENCE OF A HEARTBEAT

RI - HB7281 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION - THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT (Directs RIDE to release to the town of Cumberland any part of state education aid which was withheld as a setoff for money received from any of the ESSER funds.)

RI - HB8269 AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE EDWARD O. HAWKINS AND THOMAS C. SLATER MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT (Imposes a requirement that, after June 1, 2022, the hours of operation of a compassion center be subject to approval by affirmative vote of the city or town council where it is located.)

RI - HB7286 AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (Includes middle income taxpayers/retirees meeting 85% of Rhode Island's median income levels as eligible participants for heating assistance and doubles the amount of assistance available which shall be funded by available American Rescue Plan funds.)

RI - HB7314 AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- LABOR AND PAYMENT OF DEBTS BY CONTRACTORS (Authorizes general contractors and subcontractors awarded state public works contracts up to four (4) journeypersons to work under a fully licensed master tradesperson.)

RI - HB7291 AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RETIREMENT OF MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES (Would gradually increase the amount of the pension benefits of all Central Falls Retirees covered by the retirees' settlement agreement to one hundred percent of their base pension benefit.)

RI - HB7453 AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES (Limits an individual’s co-pay for any diagnostic imaging tests, inclusive of magnetic resonance imaging tests (MRIs), computed tomography scans (CT), ultrasound or x-ray, to forty dollars ($40).)

RI - HB8080 AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE EDWARD O. HAWKINS AND THOMAS C. SLATER MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT (Imposes a requirement that, after June 1, 2022, the hours of operation of a compassion center be subject to approval by affirmative vote of the city or town council where it is located.)

RI - HB7322 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- PARKING FACILITIES AND PRIVILEGES (Provides that effective January 1, 2023, the governor's commission on disabilities shall issue and renew a motor vehicle disability parking privilege placard.)

RI - HB7824 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES (Authorizes the administration of the division of motor vehicles to make available, to Purple Heart Medal recipients, up to two (2) sets of special registration plates.)

RI - HR8283 JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $5,000,000 TO THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO PROVIDE BABY FOOD AND INFANT FORMULA THROUGH THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND OTHER MEANS (This resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) to the department of human services to fund and assist in the procurement of baby food and infant formula.)

RI - HR7288 JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $100,000 TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (Authorizes the appropriation of the sum of $100,000 to the department of environmental management to fund and assist the city of Central Falls in implementing aerial spraying to inhibit the growth of water chestnuts along the Blackstone River.)

RI - HB8039 AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES (Allows the town of Cumberland to apply different tax rates against all classes of property.)

RI - HB8006 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR FUEL TAX (Imposes a moratorium on the payment of the fuel tax until December 31, 2022.)

RI - HB8079 AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES THERAPEUTIC RESEARCH ACT (Requires local approval by the city or town council and a voter referendum for any place of sale or distribution center of recreational marijuana located within that municipality.)

RI - HB6613 AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- CORROSION PREVENTION AND MITIGATION WORK REQUIREMENTS (Requires all contractors and subcontractors who perform construction, alteration, demolition, installation, repair or maintenance work, pursuant to public works contracts, to comply with industry standards for infrastructure corrosion prevention.)

RI - HB6642 AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- SUBDIVISION OF LAND -- ZONING ORDINANCES (Same as 21H-5568 SUB A -- Provides planning board approval votes require majority of members present at time of vote/quorum of zoning review board would authorize voting members including alternatives.)

RI - HB7293 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MISCELLANEOUS RULES (Establishes revolving school bus driver incentive fund for use by school districts to hire/retain bus drivers/monitors with initial grant of $5,000,000 from COVID-19 response funds.)

RI - HB7403 AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT SOCIAL PROTECTION ACT (Creates an accident compensation fund to provide payments and benefits to those injured by uninsured motorists, to be administered by the department of human services.)

RI - HB7456 AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS (Allows those persons with concealed carry permits issued by other states to carry upon their person weapons in Rhode Island provided that the issuing state recognizes and gives reciprocity to RI permit holders.)

RI - HB7465 AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES (Places a cap of twenty percent (20%) on increases in consecutive revaluations of real property in all cities and towns conducting revaluations commencing December 31, 2022, and every December 31 thereafter.)

RI - HB7466 AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT (Limits residential rent increases to ten percent (10%) annually.)

RI - HB7475 AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (Requires all public utilities to maintain a customer service facility within the state to perform services such as addressing customer inquiries and accepting bill payments.)

RI - HB7491 AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- STATE LOTTERY (Designates a special account for veterans’ causes to be funded by Keno sales, less prizes and commissions, generated on Memorial Day and Veterans Day with disbursement pursuant to legislation and appropriation by the general assembly.)

RI - HB7545 AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- SANITATION IN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS -- SINGLE USE PLASTIC STRAWS (Exempts drive-through and take-out establishments from providing a plastic straw only upon request by the consumer.)

RI - HB7549 AN ACT RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- RHODE ISLAND VETERANS' HOME (Allows cold war, veteran administration connected disability, and RI national guard with less than 90 days service admission into veterans home.)

RI - HB7597 AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- CONTRACTORS' REGISTRATION AND LICENSING BOARD (Revises the manner in which complaints against contractors are made, processed, investigated, and resolved in a more efficient and expeditious manner and makes various technical and grammatical corrections.)

RI - HB7616 AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHY AGING (Renames the Office of Healthy Aging to The Department of Healthy Aging, restructures the administration and delivery of services, and expands the authority of its director in various ways.)

RI - HB7624 AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- CENTRAL FALLS BUSINESS COOPERATIVE INCUBATOR (Appropriates $100,000 annually to Fuerza Laboral for the purposes of the development and management of a business cooperative located in Central Falls to increase economic development, assists with job creation and a path to business ownership.)

RI - HB7625 AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- CITY OF PAWTUCKET DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT (Provides that portions of the city of Central Falls would be included within the Pawtucket Downtown Redevelopment Project.)

RI - HB7630 AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- INSURANCE BENEFITS (Provides that adjunct faculty members at any state college or university who teach at least 50% of the hours regularly worked by full-time faculty in a semester would be eligible for the same medical benefits as other state employees.)

RI - HB7640 AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND HOUSING RESOURCES ACT OF 1998 (Amends membership of the RI Housing Resources Act of 1998 Commission to exclude a representative of the insurers and replace it with a representative of a Rhode Island city or town with a population below 25,000 with a median family income of 40,000.)

RI - HB7674 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS (Mandates the department of health, in conjunction with the department of education, to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before a mandate relating to the health and safety of children in schools would be issued.)

RI - HB7702 AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING (Creates a mandatory jail sentence of ten (10) years for two or more people who break into a business with the intent to steal.)

RI - HB7742 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR VEHICLE OFFENSES (Prohibits the division of motor vehicles from placing on a motorist's driving record, a traffic violation which fine has been paid no longer than thirty (30) days after its issuance. This procedure would only be utilized twice per year.)

RI - HB7756 AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- MEDICAL ASSISTANCE -- LONG-TERM CARE SERVICE AND FINANCE REFORM (Requires the EOHHS to submit to the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services a state plan amendment to Medicaid dental and chiropractic rates.)

RI - HB7868 AN ACT RELATING TO FISH AND WILDLIFE -- LICENSING (Exempts anyone age sixty-five (65) or older from the fishing license fee. An application must be completed.)

RI - HB7952 AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- ABANDONMENT BY TOWNS (Allows the town of Cumberland upon request to sell the highway or driftway to the abutting owner at fair value.)

RI - HB7983 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR FUEL TAX (Imposes a moratorium on the payment of the fuel tax until June 30, 2023.)

RI - HB8178 AN ACT RELATING TO MAKING APPROPRIATIONS IN SUPPORT OF FY 2022 (Appropriates $1.0 million in state funds to nonprofit hospitals serving large governmentally insured populations with a primary care focused (internal medicine and/or family practice) program that started after January 1, 2021.)

RI - HB8183 AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND HOUSING AND MORTGAGE FINANCE CORPORATION (Requires that the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation create, maintain and update a statewide directory of all municipal and private housing rental properties, that accept government subsidized housing vouchers.)

RI - HB8212 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS (Extends teacher certifications without fee or penalty for three (3) years for teachers who hold certifications as of July 1, 2022.)

RI - HB8252 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES - REGISTRATION OF COMMERCIAL FISHING VEHICLES (Requires the division of motor vehicles to develop a form for registration of and a license plate for commercial fishing motor vehicles.)

RI - HB8297 AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- UNIFORM CONTROL SUBSTANCES ACT (Requires that professionals authorized to prescribe opioid drugs discuss addiction risks with the patient or the patient’s parent or guardian if the patient is under eighteen (18) years of age.)

RI - HB8333 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS (Focuses on increasing school security to minimize the threat of an intruder in a school.)

RI - HR7258 HOUSE RESOLUTION EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF TIMOTHY ALAN JACKSON

RI - HR7259 HOUSE RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING FEBRUARY OF 2022 TO BE "CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

RI - HR7261 HOUSE RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE CELEBRATION OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR "THE YEAR OF THE TIGER"

RI - HR7425 JOINT RESOLUTION TO APPROVE AND PUBLISH AND SUBMIT TO THE ELECTORS A PROPOSITION OF AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE (INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM)

RI - HR7663 JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $300,000 FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS FOR THE BLACKSTONE VALLEY TOURISM COUNCIL (This joint resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) to the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.)

RI - HR7784 JOINT RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE OF RHODE ISLAND'S PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM (Creates 10 member joint commission to study and make recommendations for efficient/effective governance of kindergarten through sixteen public education system, and reports back to the Senate and House by March 1, 2023, and expires on July 1, 2023.)

RI - HR7975 JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $5,000,000 FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS TO THE CITY OF CENTRAL FALLS IN RECOGNITION OF THE DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON CENTRAL FALLS AND THE DISPROPORTIONATELY ARPA FUNDING TO THE CITY (This joint resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of $5,000,000 to the City of Central Falls for relief in combating pandemic threats to the City's public health.)

RI - HR8043 HOUSE RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING "MEDAL OF HONOR DAY" ON MARCH 25, 2022, IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

RI - HR8046 HOUSE RESOLUTION EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF DONALD ARTHUR LITTLEFIELD

RI - HR8061 HOUSE RESOLUTION THANKING AND HONORING AMERICA'S AND RHODE ISLAND'S VIETNAM WAR VETERANS AND ASKING THAT ALL RHODE ISLAND RESIDENTS REMEMBER THEIR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE ON BEHALF OF OUR NATION ON "VIETNAM VETERANS DAY"

RI - HR8070 HOUSE RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING APRIL OF 2022 TO BE "ORGAN DONATION MONTH" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

RI - HR8202 HOUSE RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE 74TH ANNIVERSARY OF ISRAEL'S ESTABLISHMENT ON MAY 5, 2022, AND REAFFIRMING THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN RHODE ISLAND, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE STATE OF ISRAEL

RI - HR8249 HOUSE RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING THE WEEK OF MAY 15 THROUGH MAY 21, 2022 TO BE "NATIONAL POLICE WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ALL POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE LINE OF DUTY

RI - HR8271 HOUSE RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING REPRESENTATIVE CAMILLE F.J. VELLA-WILKINSON ON BEING NAMED THE 2022 "VERRAZANO DAY PERSON OF THE YEAR"

RI - HR8280 HOUSE RESOLUTION SUPPORTING WILLIAM M. DAVIES, JR. CAREER AND TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL AND COMMEMORATING 50 YEARS OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN RHODE ISLAND

RI - HR8336 HOUSE RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING JUNE 12, 2022, TO BE "WOMEN VETERANS APPRECIATION DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND