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4/26/2021
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MEDIA ADVISORY: House Finance Subcommittees meet twice this week to hear department budgets; full committee meets on Thursday to hear marijuana budget article and legislation
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STATE HOUSE – The House Finance Subcommittee on Public Safety and the House Finance Subcommittee on Human Services will be meeting this week to hear testimony on department budgets. The full House Finance Committee will be meeting on Thursday to hear testimony on the FY 2022 recreational marijuana budget article and four bills relating to marijuana.
On Tuesday, April 27 at the RISE of the House (approximately 5 p.m.) in Room 35 of the State House, the Subcommittee on Public Safety will hear testimony on the FY 2022 and FY 2021 revised budgets for the following departments:
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Department of Public Safety
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Judiciary
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Office of Attorney General
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Office of Public Defender.
The subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Jean Philippe Barros (D-Dist. 59, Pawtucket).
On Wednesday, April 28 at the RISE of the House (approximately 5 p.m.) in Room 35 of the State House, the Subcommittee on Human Services will hear testimony on the FY 2022 and FY 2021 revised budgets for the following departments:
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Department of Children, Youth and Families
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Office of the Child Advocate
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Department of Health
The subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Alex D. Marszalkowski (D-Dist. 52, Cumberland).
On Thursday, April 29 at 4 p.m. in Room 35 of the State House, the House Finance Committee will hear testimony on Article 11 of the FY 2022 state budget which relates to adult recreational use of marijuana in the state.
The committee will also hear testimony on the following bills:
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2021-H 5451, sponsored by Rep. Anastasia P. Williams (D-Dist. 9, Providence), apportions remaining revenue in the restricted receipt accounts, after Department of Health expenses, from the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act to the distressed communities relief fund and charitable organizations.
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2021-H 5452, also sponsored by Representative Williams, would direct the Department of Business Regulation to undertake a social equity and race analysis to examine whether racial disparities exist in the process to obtain a state license to sell marijuana, and in arrest and conviction rates pertaining to marijuana.
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2021-H 5453, sponsored by Rep. Scott A. Slater (D-Dist. 10, Providence), creates a hardship designation for patients on SSDI and Medicaid. The bill also establishes a discount medicine program, eliminates plant tagging, allows unlimited compassion center licenses, redefines debilitating condition, and reduces the compassion center license fee to $5,000.
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2021-H 5930, sponsored by Rep. Marcia Ranglin-Vassell (D-Dist. 5, Providence), establishes a board and appropriates funds from the legislature to create a local cannabis equity program to allow those people who want to enter the business of selling marijuana with state funding and technical assistance to do so.
The State House remains closed to the public as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hearing will be televised live on Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox on Channels 15 and 61, in high definition on Cox Channel 1061, on Full Channel on Channel 15 and on Channel 34 by Verizon subscribers. It will also be live-streamed at www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV. Media members wishing to arrange for in-person coverage are asked to contact Larry Berman at lberman@rilegislature.gov.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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