This Week at the General Assembly

This week at the

General Assembly

STATE HOUSE — Here are the highlights from news and events that took place in the General Assembly this week. For more information on any of these items visit http://www.rilegislature.gov/pressrelease

§ Senate passes bill that grants driving privileges to undocumented residents

The Senate passed legislation (2022-S 2006Aaa) sponsored by Sen. Frank A. Ciccone (D-Dist. 7, Providence, North Providence) which allows the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue driving privileges to undocumented residents in the state. Neither the driving permit nor license would be usable for federal or state identification or voting purposes. The bill now heads to the House for consideration where Rep. Anastasia P. Williams (D-Dist. 9, Providence) has introduced similar legislation (2022-H 7708).

Click here to see news release

§ House OKs bill to provide injured police dogs ambulance transport, EMT care
The House approved legislation (2022-H 7021A) sponsored by Rep. David A. Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Warwick, Cranston) to allow police dogs injured in the line of duty to get emergency first aid from EMTs and be transported by ambulance to veterinary hospitals. The legislation now heads to the Senate.
Click here to see news release.

§ House OKs McNamara bill to redistribute unused prescription medications
The House of Representatives approved legislation (2022-H 7133A) introduced by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston) that would create a way to redistribute unused medication to aid people who cannot access or afford their prescriptions. The measure now moves to the Senate, where similar legislation (2022-S 2207) has been introduced by Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence).
Click here to see news release.

§ House, Senate pass bills to address child abuse in military families
The Senate and House of Representatives approved legislation (2022-S 2105, 2022-H 6617) introduced by Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown) and Rep. Julie A. Casimiro (D-Dist. 31, North Kingstown, Exeter) respectively that would require the Department of Children, Youth and Families to determine the military status of the parents of any abused child and report the matter to the appropriate military authorities, including the Military Family Advocacy Program. Each measure now moves to the other chamber.
Click here to see DiMario release.

Click here to see Casimiro release.

§ House passes Azzinaro ‘stolen valor’ bill

The House of Representatives approved legislation (2022-H 7714A) sponsored by Rep. Samuel A. Azzinaro (D-Dist. 37, Westerly) that would make “stolen valor” a crime. The bill would make it a crime to fraudulently represent oneself as an active or veteran member of the military or armed forces for the purpose of obtaining money, property or other tangible benefits. The crime would be a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment of not more than a year, or a fine of $1000, or both. The bill now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Roger A. Picard (D-Dist. 20, Woonsocket, Cumberland) has introduced similar legislation (2022-S 2425).

Click here to see news release.

§ Senate approves measure to control bird flu
The Senate legislation sponsored by Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) to control potential outbreaks of bird flu and other animal diseases. The bill (2022-S 2751) provides the Department of Environmental Management authority to set up a quarantine area to prevent the movement of domestic animals or products when there is a suspected case of a contagious animal disease such as bird flu. The legislation now goes to the House, which has passed identical legislation (2022-H 7785) sponsored by Rep. Brandon Potter (D-Dist. 16, Cranston).
Click here to see news release.

§ House OKs bill to protect donors of feminine hygiene products from liability
The House approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Susan R. Donovan (D-Dist. 69, Bristol, Portsmouth) to provide legal protection to those who donate feminine hygiene products. The protection would open the door for large corporate donations of the much-needed products to food banks and other charities. The bill now goes to the Senate, where similar legislation (2022-S 2531) is sponsored by Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown).
Click here to see news release.

§ House passes bill naming trilobite RI’s state fossil
The House approved a measure (2022-H 7908) sponsored by Rep. Teresa Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett) to designate the trilobite as Rhode Island’s state fossil. The bill now goes to the Senate, where Sen. Alana DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown) is sponsoring its Senate companion (2022-S 2497). The legislation is the brainchild of Narragansett High School student Gary Jennison, who wants to address Rhode Island’s status as one of only four states without an official state fossil.
Click here to see news release.

§ Rep. Morales, Sen. Bell call for passage of ‘Medicare for All’
Joined by advocates, Rep. David Morales (D-Dist. 7, Providence) and Sen. Samuel W. Bell (D-Dist. 5, Providence) called for passage of their legislation (2022-H 8119, 2022-S 2769) to establish a statewide universal, comprehensive, affordable single-payer health care insurance program.
Click here to see news release.

President Biden is set to sign a new foreign aid bill into law. This, after the Senate on Tuesday passed a 95-billion-dollar emergency foreign aid package, which includes funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the Indo-Pacific. The bill also laid the groundwork to ban the social media app TikTok in the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court is taking on a case involving emergency abortions. The high court will hear oral arguments today on whether emergency rooms in Idaho can provide abortions to a woman whose health is at risk. Idaho's law, as it stands now, makes it a felony for physicians to perform most abortions except to save the life of the mother. The Food and Drug Administration says the bird flu virus has been detected in some samples of pasteurized milk in the U.S. The FDA says the pasteurization of the milk "is likely to inactivate the virus" and it's therefore still safe to drink, although they're still waiting for test results to confirm that statement. Owning a home may still be considered part of the so-called American Dream, but prices are putting that dream increasingly out of reach for many. A new survey from Bankrate found 78 percent of Americans say homeownership is a key part of the dream, more so than a comfortable retirement, successful career or a college degree. Of those, more than half say they don't have the income to buy a house, or can't afford a down payment and closing costs. Elon Musk's X platform is launching a dedicated app for smart TVs as it continues pushing video. A note sent to the company's corporate partners says the X TV app, which launched Tuesday, won't have any ads just yet, but that could change in the future. Two more teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs are knocking on the door of round two. The Panthers slipped by the Lightning 3-2 in overtime to earn a 2-0 series lead heading into Tampa for Game Three. The Rangers share the same advantage following a 4-3 victory over the Capitals as the series shifts to DC. Meanwhile, the Avalanche took down the Jets 5-2 in Winnipeg and the Predators edged the Canucks 4-1 with the series now switching to Nashville for the first time.