The RI General Assembly began its 2023 session last week. The Senate and House are still getting organized and committee meetings will not start for at least another week. A few dozen bills were introduced last week but many of them were resolutions recognizing the contributions of Rhode Island public servants.
Around the third week in January, the Governor will deliver his state of the state speech to the General Assembly, followed by his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. After this, legislative work and budget development will increase significantly.
One bill (HB5015) introduced in the House last week has potential impacts on our food system because it could affect minimum wages for food system workers. The bill, introduced by Rep. David Morales, would allow municipalities to establish their own minimum wages. There is no companion bill in the Senate yet.
For more information, see our Bill Tracker.