Rhode Island

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE RHODE ISLAND COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM - Establishes a universal, comprehensive, affordable single-payer health care insurance program and help control health care costs, which would be referred to as, "the Rhode Island Comprehensive Health Insurance Program" (RICHIP).

ELECTIONS -- RHODE ISLAND VOTING RIGHTS ACT - Creates the Rhode Island voting rights act to establish procedures to prevent discrimination in the voting process.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- REFUSE DISPOSAL - Authorizes the department of environmental management to issue and enforce rules and regulations to implement and enforce the provisions of the food waste ban.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- NET METERING -- PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATION DEVICES - Excludes portable solar generation devices intended primarily to offset part of a customer's electricity consumption from the definition of eligible net-metering system.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- PARKING FACILITIES AND PRIVILEGES - Updates disability parking space signage and enables municipalities to participate in the parking mobility app program where individuals submit photos on the app of vehicles parked in spaces designated for individuals with disabilities.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- SOLAR COST REDUCTION ACT - Amend the state’s online E-Permitting Portal using automated plan review and instant permit issuance.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- RHODE ISLAND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACT - Creates the RI Pedestrian Safety Act allows cities and town to use automated safety monitoring which a civil fine of $50 for violations.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATION DEVICE - Creates a new category of residential solar energy generation for small portable solar generation devices.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND HOUSING RESOURCES ACT OF 1998 - Allows the town of Johnston to receive a one-half (1/2) credit for affordable housing units for manufactured homes in age restricted communities in conformance with all zoning laws and/or ordinances of the town.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES' ARBITRATION - Recognizes that municipal employees have the opportunity to utilize binding arbitration and establishes new factors for the arbitrators to consider. These factors include comparisons of wages/hourly conditions of employment in similarly skilled jobs.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING - Requires the Rhode Island housing authority to verify and document the count of affordable housing stock in the town of Tiverton two (2) times per year.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- PARKING FACILITIES AND PRIVILEGES - Includes the governor's commission on disabilities in the decision making process for the disability parking enforcement enhancement program and requires an annual report be submitted to the governor's commission.

FOOD AND DRUGS -- SANITATION IN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS - Establishes a restricted receipt account at the DLT for hospitality industry workforce training grants, funded by an annual $50 dollar fee to be charged by RIDOH to food service establishments.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING - Permits the town of Tiverton to require additional testing, to be performed by and at the expense of the developer, to ensure that there is no dewatering or loss of effective recharge to surrounding wells within close proximity of the new construction.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES - Allows the town of Johnston to determine its density bonuses based upon its underlying zoning.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- LABOR RELATIONS ACT - Provides for the right to strike for public sector workers in Rhode Island, including teachers, with exceptions for police officers, firefighters, 911 employees, and correctional officers.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- RHODE ISLAND COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING AND LAND USE ACT -- COMPREHENSIVE PERMITS PROHIBITED IN WATERSHED OVERLAY PROTECTION - Prohibits applications for a comprehensive permit under the Rhode Island comprehensive planning and land use regulation act in any watershed overlay protection district located in the town of Tiverton.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES -- MINIMUM PARKING REQUIREMENTS - Implements statewide parking standards.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES - Requires all municipal zoning ordinances be amended to provide that any lot with access to public water/sewer services, not establish or enforce a minimum lot area that exceeds 5,000 sq.ft. for a residential building with between one and 4 dwelling units.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS' AND CHAUFFEURS' LICENSES - Permits continuation of instructor-led virtual instruction for drivers’ education for two-year period. Board of education required to provide report comparing test scores of virtual versus in-person instruction to house speaker and senate president.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING - Authorized the town of Tiverton to require that fifty percent (50%) of new construction be affordable housing units if there is less than ten percent (10%) of affordable housing in the town.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING - Allows the town of Tiverton, with an aggregate of 500 or more units proposed in a comprehensive permit project, to enact a short-term emergency moratorium until the permit laws are amended.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING -- PARKING SPACES - Permits Johnston to require 2 parking spaces for each studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom low- or moderate-income housing unit upon the determination that limited or no local public transportation or off-street parking is available near these units.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND HOUSING RESOURCES ACT OF 1998 - Allows the town of Tiverton to receive a one-half (1/2) credit for affordable housing units for manufactured homes in age restricted communities in conformance with all zoning laws and/or ordinances of the town.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES - Allows the town of Smithfield to determine its density bonuses based upon its underlying zoning.