RI Lawmakers Return To The State House

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island's 2022 legislative session kicks off Tuesday afternoon, with House and Senate lawmakers set to return to the State House.

The new session will kick off at 2 p.m. Before moving on to new bills, both chambers are scheduled to vote on pending legislation from the 2021 session. These include:

• ARPA Funding: Both chambers are scheduled to vote on this proposal from Gov. Daniel McKee for using $119 million of Rhode Island’s $1.13 billion American Rescue Plan Act State Fiscal Recovery Funds. During hearings earlier this month, both chambers’ Finance committees added safeguards and more specifics about how the federal funds will be used.
• Short-Term Rental Veto: Both chambers are scheduled to consider overriding the governor’s veto of this legislation sponsored by Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport) and Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) to create a statewide registry of every short-term rental property listed for rent on the website of any third-party hosting platform that conducts business in Rhode Island.
• Auto Repair Veto: Both chambers are scheduled to consider overriding the governor’s veto of this bill sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence) and Rep. William W. O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence) to prohibit auto insurers from refusing to pay standard industry costs for auto body repairs.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are set to send bills across the hall after passage, to wrap up unfinished 2021 business on Tuesday. The Senate is also set to take up several judicial appointments. After wrapping up last session's business, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President J. Dominick Ruggerio will adjourn the 2021 session and officially convene the 2022 session.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the public will not be allowed to attend the sessions in person. However, both chambers will be livestreamed online, or can be watched Cox Channels 15, and 61, in high definition on Cox Channel 1061, on Full Channel on Channel 15 and on Channel 34 by Verizon subscribers.

Also because of the pandemic, lawmakers will meet less during the month of January. Senators will meet weekly on Tuesdays and House lawmakers on Tuesdays and Thursdays.