This Week At the General Assembly

This roundup was provided by the Rhode Island General Assembly: 

§      Bill calls for DNA sample from all arrested for felonies
Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-Dist. 38, Hopkinton, Westerly) has introduced legislation (2011-H 5132) to require that a DNA sample be collected from crime suspects that are arrested for a major felony. Currently, DNA samples are only taken from individuals who are convicted of a felony. The bill is modeled after “Katie’s Law,” named for the young Arizona woman who was brutally murdered in 2003. Sen. David E. Bates (R-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol) has introduced the bill (2011-S 0120) in the Senate.
Click here to see news release. 

§      Gallison, Felag propose expansion of new student athlete concussion law
Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr. (D-Dist. 69, Bristol, Portsmouth) and Sen. Walter S. Felag Jr. (D-Dist. 10, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton) have proposed a bill (2011-H 5440, 2011-S 0291) strengthening legislation they enacted last year to train coaches and other adults to recognize concussions. The new bill would require school districts to have each student athlete take a free online test that can be used for comparison to determine whether an athlete has a concussion if he or she suffers a head injury.
Click here to see news release.

§      McNamara bills address obesity, food labeling
Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston) has introduced several bills to set health and safety standards for establishments that serve food, including restaurants, public schools and more. One bill (2011-H 5361) would require food chains with 20 or more establishments nationwide to provide calorie information on their menus.
Click here to see news release.

§      Board proposed to coordinate statewide renewable energy policy
Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) and Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown, Middletown) introduced legislation (2011-H 5938) to create the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Coordinating Board to unify the state’s efforts to develop renewable energy as a means of creating jobs and business opportunities in Rhode Island.
Click here to see news release.

§      Bills allocate gaming revenues to education, bond debt
Legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate to commit a portion of the state’s gaming revenues to specific purposes. In the House, Rep. James N. McLaughlin (D-Dist. 57, Cumberland, Central Falls) has sponsored a bill (2011-H 5608) to commit 10 percent of gaming revenue to pay down the state’s bond debt. In the Senate, Sen. Harold M. Metts (D-Dist. 6, Providence) has introduced a bill (2011-S 0493) to commit 100 percent of any revenue from new or expanded forms of gaming to elementary and secondary education.
Click here to see the McLaughlin release.
Click here to see the Metts release.

§      Safe Schools Act introduced in Senate, House of Representatives
Sen. Beatrice A. Lanzi (D-Dist. 26, Cranston) and Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown, Middletown) have introduced bills in their respective chambers, directing the Department of Education to provide an age-appropriate model policy on bullying and cyberbullying prevention. The legislation, the Safe Schools Act (2011-H 5941), resulted from a year-long study of a special Senate commission chaired by Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr. (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, North Smithfield), of which Senator Lanzi and Representative Ruggiero are members.
Click here to see news release.

§      House Finance, Judiciary committees hear bills concerning marijuana
The House Finance Committee held hearings on a bill (2011-H 5591) sponsored by Rep. Edith H. Ajello (D-Dist. 3, Providence) to regulate the use, sale and taxation of marijuana and a bill (2011-H 5601) sponsored by Rep. Rene R. Menard (D-Dist. 45, Lincoln, Cumberland) to tax compassion centers revenue exceeding $500,000. The House Judiciary Committee held hearings on a bill (2011-H 5031) sponsored by Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Tiverton, Portsmouth) to decriminalize the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, and impose a civil fine of $150 instead, and bills (2011-H 5032, 2011-H 5040, 2011-H 5290) sponsored by Rep. Roberto DaSilva (D-Dist. 63, East Providence, Pawtucket) concerning landlords’ rights concerning tenants who grow medical marijuana on their property.

§      Reilly bill allows cities and towns to issue and renew drivers’ licenses

Rep. Daniel P. Reilly (R-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport) has introduced legislation (2011-H 5708) that would allow cities and towns to pass ordinances authorizing them to issue and renew drivers’ licenses.
Click here to see news release.

§      Bates proposes Green Jobs-Green Rhode Island program

Sen. David E. Bates (R-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol) has introduced legislation (2011-S 0451) that would establish the Green Jobs-Green Rhode Island program intended to create and promote green jobs and energy efficient construction and home modification in the state.

§      Healthcare Oversight Committee schedules first meeting
The newly reorganized Joint Committee on Healthcare Oversight, led by Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairwoman Rhoda E. Perry (D-Dist. 3, Providence) and House Corporations Committee Chairman Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-Dist. 38, Hopkinton, Westerly), held its first meeting. Originally created in 2000 and active through 2005, the joint committee monitors all areas of health care provision, insurance, liability, licensing, cost and delivery of services, and the adequacy, efficacy and efficiency of statutes, rules, regulations, guidelines, practices, and programs related to health care, long-term care or health insurance coverage.
Click here to see news release.