Rhode Island Bill Tracking And State Guide
Everything you need to know to engage with the Senate and House
How does a bill become law in Rhode Island?
- Introduction: A bill can be introduced by any Representative or Senator in their respective house.
- Numbering: The Recording Secretary numbers the bill in the House of Representatives, and the Secretary of the Senate does the same for the Senate.
- Referral: The Speaker of the House or the President of the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee.
- Committee Action: The committee may take various actions, including:
- a. Recommend passage as introduced;
- b. Recommend passage with amendments;
- c. Recommend passage of a substitute;
- d. Recommend further referral to another committee;
- e. Recommend indefinite postponement;
- f. Report the bill to the floor without a recommendation.
- Calendar: The bill goes on the calendar when a committee recommends passage. All "Public Bills" are reproduced with a short explanation for distribution.
- Transmission: After passage in one house, the bill is sent to the other house to follow a similar procedure.
- Final Passage: If both houses concur, the bill is forwarded to the Governor.
Governor's Actions:
- The Governor may sign and approve the bill, returning it to the Secretary of State who notifies the original house of its passage into law.
- The Governor may veto the bill, returning it to the original house. If three-fifths of the members in both houses vote in favor, the bill becomes law despite the veto.
- The Governor may allow the bill to become law without a signature if it is not signed within six days (excluding Sunday) while the General Assembly is in session. If the Assembly is adjourned, the bill becomes law unless the Governor disapproves it in writing within ten days after adjournment.
- By statute, any law that does not specify when it takes effect will become effective on July 1 of the year it was enacted by the General Assembly.
How can a member of the public get involved in the legislative process in Rhode Island?
Members of the public can get involved in the legislative process in Rhode Island by participating in the following ways:
1. Contacting Legislators: Individuals can reach out to their elected Representatives and Senators to express their opinions about proposed legislation or to advocate for new bills.
2. Attending Public Hearings: Citizens are encouraged to attend public hearings held by committees in the House and Senate. These hearings provide an opportunity to provide testimony, ask questions, and voice support or opposition to specific bills.
3. Submitting Testimony: Members of the public can submit written testimony on bills being considered. This allows individuals to formally present their views, even if they cannot attend hearings in person.
4. Following Legislation: Interested individuals can track the progress of bills through the legislative process. This allows them to stay informed about when bills are being debated, amended, or voted upon.
5. Engagement in Advocacy: Joining or collaborating with advocacy groups that align with specific legislative interests can amplify an individual's voice and influence on the legislative process.
6. Researching Bills: Keeping informed about current legislation, proposed bills, and their implications is crucial. This can help the public make informed statements during public hearings or when communicating with legislators.
How can FastDemocracy help me with that?
Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in Rhode Island every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.
FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.
FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features
- real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
- automated reporting
- team collaboration
- bill tagging for clients and stakeholders
- bill similarity detection
- ...and much more
How do I track bills in Rhode Island?
1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.
2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.
3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.
4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.
5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.
6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.
7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.
How do I find my local Rhode Island Senator and Representative?
You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.
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Most tracked bills in Rhode Island, 2025 Regular Session
AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- CONSUMER ENFORCEMENT OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEVICE WARRANTIES (Requires manufacturers of assisting technology devices to make available to independent repair providers/the owner of the device, any documentation/parts, software/other items intended for use with the equipment/parts, including updates to software.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Corporations
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES (Sets the minimum wage for 2026 at $16 per hour, 2027 at $17 per hour, 2028 at $18 per hour, 2029 at $19 per hour and for 2030 at $20 per hour.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Labor
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
HOUSE RESOLUTION AMENDING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE YEARS 2023 AND 2024 (House Resolution providing certain plastic and single-use plastic cutlery and beverage containers would not be permitted on the House floor.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (01/15/2025)
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
Jan 15, 2025 04:00pm
Room 101 - State House, Time: Rise of the House
AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- CONSUMER PFAS BAN ACT OF 2024 (Prohibits a manufacturer from manufacturing, knowingly selling, offering for sale, distributing for sale or distributing for use in the state any firefighting personal protective equipment containing intentionally-added PFAS as of January 1, 2027.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Environment and Natural Resources
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- AWARD OF MUNICIPAL CONTRACTS (Increases the maximum state and municipal small purchase limits from $10,000 to $25,000 for construction projects and from $5,000 to $10,000 for all other state and municipal purchases.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Finance
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
HOUSE RESOLUTION AMENDING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE YEARS 2023 AND 2024 (Authorizes the Speaker and the Rhode Island Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander (RIBLIA) Caucus to request equity impact statements on up to five (5) proposed bills.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (01/15/2025)
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
Jan 15, 2025 04:00pm
Room 101 - State House, Time: Rise of the House
AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- BENEFIT DETERMINATION AND UTILIZATION REVIEW ACT (Prohibits health benefit plans reviewing prescriptions for opioid addiction treatment.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Health & Human Services
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- RARE DISEASE ADVISORY COUNCIL (Establishes a rare disease advisory council within the department of health and provides guidance and recommendations to educate health care providers and the citizens of the state.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Health & Human Services
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND COMMERCE CORPORATION (Removes nuclear plant projects from seeking the approval from the general assembly for the construction of said nuclear plant.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House State Government & Elections
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES (Caps amount payable for 30 day supply of equipment/supplies for insulin administration/glucose monitoring at $25 or equipment designed to last more than 30 days with no deductible commencing January 1, 2026.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Health & Human Services
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- OPEN MEETINGS (Allows school committees to add item(s) not appearing in published notice to their agendas for purposes of discussion only if the revised agenda is filed with the secretary of state and posted on district website at least 48 hrs in advance of the meeting.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House State Government & Elections
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (Provides that effective July 1, 2025, the profit margin of any electric distribution company gas distribution company, would not exceed four percent (4%), in any given calendar year.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Corporations
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- LABOR AND PAYMENT OF DEBTS BY CONTRACTORS (Amends the definition of public works so that it would include any public works projects performed for any city or town or quasi-municipal entity and the state and any quasi-state entity.)
Last Action
01/10/2025 Introduced, referred to House Labor
House • Jan 10, 2025Latest Version
HOUSE RESOLUTION EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE THOMAS R. DILUGLIO
Last Action
01/09/2025 House read and passed
House • Jan 09, 2025Latest Version
HOUSE RESOLUTION EXPRESSING PROFOUND SYMPATHY ON THE PASSING OF PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
Last Action
01/09/2025 House read and passed
House • Jan 09, 2025Latest Version
All Legislators in Rhode Island (Senator and Representative)
