The bill proposes amendments to the membership structure of the Small Business Advocacy Council as outlined in Section 42-91-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-91. The changes include increasing the number of council members from twenty to twenty-one. The bill specifies that public members can now be officers, partners, or proprietors of small businesses or nonprofit corporations as defined by the United States Small Business Administration. Additionally, the bill introduces new positions for minority party members from both the house and senate, the chairs of the house and senate small business committees, and replaces the director of the Rhode Island economic development corporation with the secretary of the Rhode Island commerce corporation or their permanent designee.

The bill also outlines the terms of appointment for public members, with staggered terms ending in June of 1987 and 1988, and subsequent appointments for three-year terms. It addresses the process for filling vacancies and the duration of service for ex-officio members. The council is required to meet at least quarterly each year, elect a vice-chairperson and a secretary from among the public members, and is entitled to request clerical and technical assistance through the department of economic development. The bill emphasizes that council members will not receive compensation for their services. The act would take effect immediately upon passage.

Statutes affected:
7537  SUB A: 42-91-2
7537: 42-91-2