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Senate OKs Prata Bill That Would Establish Committee Review of Outdated Laws

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The Rhode Island General Assembly has passed legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey (D-Dist. 29, Warwick) and Rep. Camille F.J. Vella-Wilkinson (D-Dist. 21, Warwick) that would make provisions for in-state tuition for members of the military on active duty.
[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The RI State House.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the Legislative Press and Information Bureau.

STATE HOUSE – The Rhode Island Senate has approved legislation (2018-S 2302) sponsored by Sen. Erin Lynch Prata (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston) to establish a new General Assembly Joint Committee of the Repealer, to be tasked with the job of combing through Rhode Island’s laws and proposing which outdated statutes should be repealed.

“The new Joint Committee of the Repealer will be a big step forward to ensuring that the state’s laws are adapted to the 21st century, and that no statute from the 1950s, or before or since, is hurting us economically today,” she said.

The Joint Committee of the Repealer would have the formal power to compile a list of statutes, regulations and executive orders that it recommends for repeal, based on suggestions received from citizens, agencies and the business community, such as “those that are not considered ‘business-friendly,’ and those that are archaic and out of date.”

The committee’s membership would consist of three appointed lawmakers each from the House of Representatives and the Senate (six total), with no more than two members from each House and Senate political party. The committee would expire on December 31, 2024, unless further extended by the General Assembly.

Senator Lynch Prata hopes that with the passage of her bill in the Senate, Rhode Island will adapt the idea to its own economic needs and ensure that businesses are not restrained by unnecessary and out-of-date legislation.

“I think this committee is a large part of what Rhode Island needs,” said Senator Lynch Prata. “If we can clean up our outdated laws and ease the burden on our businesses, we’re definitely on the right track.”

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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