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5/15/2023
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MEDIA ADVISORY: House Finance Committee meets three times this week to hear budget amendments and legislation
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STATE HOUSE – The House Finance Committee will meet three times this week to hear testimony on several budget amendments and a variety of legislation.
On Tuesday. May 16 at the RISE of the House (approximately 5 p.m.) in Room 35 of the State House, the committee will hear the following budget amendments:
The committee will also hear a variety of legislation, including the following bills:
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2023-H 5477, sponsored by Rep. Karen Alzate (D-Dist. 60, Pawtucket, Central Falls), requires every individual or group health insurance contract, effective on or after January 1, 2024, to provide coverage to the insured and the insured's spouse and dependents for all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs, devices and other products.
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2023-H 6002, sponsored by Rep. Joseph J. Solomon, Jr. (D-Dist. 22, Warwick), mandates the RITBA to design a safety barrier or netting system on the Mount Hope Bridge, the Claiborne Pell Bridge, and the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge by January 1, 2024, with construction commencing no later than June 30, 2024.
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2023-H 6121, sponsored by Rep. Mary Ann Shallcross Smith (D-Dist. 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket), establishes a core state behavioral health crisis services system to be administered by the director of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.
On Wednesday, May 17 at 4 p.m. in Room 35 of the State House, the committee will hear the following budget amendments:
The committee will also hear a variety of legislation, including the following bills:
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2023-H 5098, sponsored by Rep. David A. Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Warwick, Cranston), requires the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to utilize current Medicaid waiver funds to provide coverage for supporting housing for the homeless.
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2023-H 5645, sponsored by Rep. Enrique George Sanchez (D-Dist. 9, Providence), imposes a 10 percent surcharge on rental property offered on a hosting platform to be deposited in a restricted receipt account established to provide for homelessness initiatives.
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2023-H 5978, sponsored by Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), creates funding for affordable housing programs within the Housing Department and land bank development programs as well as residential development programs for the construction of low-income units by the department, cities and towns.
On Thursday, May 18 at the RISE of the House (approximately 5 p.m.) in Room 35 of the State House, the committee will hear testimony on several pieces of legislation, including the following bills:
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2023-H 5194, sponsored by Rep. Arthur J. Corvese (D-Dist. 55, North Providence), restores longevity payments of five percent of base salary for employees after 10 years of service and increases to 10 percent of base salary after 20 years of service, beginning July 1, 2023.
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2023-H 5240, sponsored by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett), provides that the current COLA suspension schedule would be replaced with a fractional annual COLA of 25 percent of the COLA declared for that plan year, as it pertains to retired teachers, state and municipal employees.
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2023-H 6017, sponsored by Rep. Alex S. Finkelman (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown, Middletown), allows members of retirement systems who also served in the National Guard or reserves to purchase retirement services credits.
All the meetings will be televised live by Capitol Television, which can be seen by Cox Communications subscribers on channels 15 and 61 for high definition, on channel 15 by i3Broadband viewers, and channel 34 for Verizon subscribers. Livestreaming will be available at https://www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV/Pages/default.aspx. For information on how to submit testimony in House committees, click here.
For more information, contact:
Larry Berman, Communications Director for the Office of the Speaker
State House Room 322
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2466
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