House Committee on Municipal Government
and Housing to vote on three housing-package bills
STATE HOUSE – Three of the bills in House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s 14-bill package of legislation to address Rhode Island’s housing crisis are scheduled for votes Tuesday, March 28, at the rise of the House (sometime after 4:30 p.m.) in the House Lounge on the second floor of the State House.
The committee is scheduled to vote on six bills, including the following three which are part of Speaker Shekarchi’s (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) 14-bill package:
§ 2023-H 6087 — This bill, introduced by Rep. Cherie L. Cruz (D-Dist. 58, Pawtucket), would prohibit the requirement that a fee be paid for a rental application for real property.
§ 2023-H 6088 — This bill, introduced by Chairwoman of the Low and Moderate Income Housing Commission June Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), would expand the purpose, amend the name and membership, and extend the expiration date of the Low and Moderate Income Housing Commission until June 28, 2025.
§ 2023-H 6089 — This bill, introduced by Rep Joshua J. Giraldo (D-Dist. 56, Central Falls), would extend the reporting and expiration dates and requires a letter of continued interest to the speaker for reappointment of membership, to the Special Legislative Commission to Study the Entire Area of Land Use, Preservation, Development, Housing, Environment, and Regulation and would extend the expiration date of the commission to June 30, 2025.
The committee will also hear several other bills, including:
§ 2023-H 5373 — This bill, introduced by House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing Chairman Stephen M. Casey (D-Dist. 50, Woonsocket), would extend injured-on-duty benefits to police officers and firefighters who suffer from diagnosed post-traumatic stress injuries, except under certain conditions.
§ 2023-H 5286 — This bill, introduced by House Deputy Majority Whip Mia A. Ackerman (D-Dist. 45, Cumberland, Lincoln), would expand the definition of fire fighter to a member of a fire department or a city, town or fire district emergency medical services unit for the purposes of cancer benefits.
§ 2023-H 5782 — This bill, introduced by Rep. Nathan W. Biah (D-Dist. 3, Providence), would subject to taxation real property, owned by nonprofit institutions of higher education and nonprofit hospitals, but leased or occupied by for-profit persons and entities.
The meeting will be televised by Capitol Television, which can be seen on channels 15 and 61 for high definition by Cox Communications subscribers, channel 15 for i3Broadband (formerly Full Channel) viewers and channel 34 for Verizon subscribers. Livestreaming is available at https://www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV/Pages/default.aspx.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson needs the help of Democrats to get his foreign aid package across the finish line. Johnson is moving forward with a plan to vote on separate bills to send military assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, as well as a bill that includes border security measures. However, several conservatives quickly came out against the plan, arguing border policy changes should be directly tied to any additional funding for Ukraine. 
