Woonsocket Radio News Room

This week at the

General Assembly

 

STATE HOUSE — Here are the highlights from news and events that took place in the General Assembly this week. For more information on any of these items visit http://www.rilegislature.gov/pressrelease

 

§  Assault weapons ban introduced

Rep. Jason Knight (D-Dist. 67, Barrington, Warren) and Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Little Compton, Newport, Tiverton) introduced legislation (2025-H 5436) to prohibit assault weapons including certain semi-automatic shotguns, rifles and pistols. All five of the state’s general officers and gun safety advocates called for the passage of the ban, which Gov. Dan McKee also included in his proposed 2026 budget bill.
Click here to see news release.

§  Ujifusa, Potter sponsor bill to prohibit 'junk fees'
Sen. Linda Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) and Rep. Brandon Potter (D-Dist. 16, Cranston) are sponsoring legislation (2025-S 0017, 2025-H 5247) to prohibit “junk fees” by making it a deceptive trade practice to advertise, display or offer a price for a good or service that does not include all mandatory fees or charges other than government taxes and shipping.

Click here to see news release.

 

  • Euer bill would help Rhode Islanders pass on their homes without probate
    A bill (2025-S 0092) introduced by Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) would allow Rhode Islanders to avoid the costly and complex process of probate when leaving their home to a loved one after their death.

Click here to see news release.

 

  • Urso, Handy aim to boost Rhode Island’s main streets
    Legislation (2025-S 0174, 2025-H 5477)  introduced by Sen. Lori Urso (D-Dist. 8, Pawtucket) and Rep. Arthur Handy (D-Dist. 18, Cranston) would launch a pilot statewide Main Street Coordinating Program to aid the success of Rhode Island’s main streets, downtowns and city centers.

Click here to see news release.

 

  • Felag, Boylan bill would waive VIN check fees for veterans and military
    Senate Special Legislation and Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Walter S. Felag Jr. (D-Dist. 10, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton) and Rep. Jennifer Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence) introduced legislation (2025-H 5081, 2025-S 0075) to waive the fee for vehicle identification number (VIN) inspections for veterans and active-duty military personnel.

Click here to see news release.

 

  • Morales, Kallman bill would help victims of wage theft in construction industry
    Rep. David Morales (D-Dist. 7, Providence) and Sen. Meghan E. Kallman (D-Dist. 15, Pawtucket, Providence) introduced legislation (2025-H 5366, 2025-S 0069) to help the victims of wage theft who work in construction receive the payments they are owed.

Click here to see Morales release.

Click here to see Kallman release.

 

  • Chairmen Craven and LaMountain introduce V.I.C.T.I.M. Act

House Judiciary Chairman Robert E. Craven (D-Dist. 32, North Kingstown) and Senate Judiciary Chairman Matthew L. LaMountain (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston) joined advocates at the State House on Wednesday to introduce the Victims of Crime Trauma Informed Mobilization (V.I.C.T.I.M.) Act (2025-H 5390, 2025-S 0258), which would establish a VICTIM Fund grant program to support nonprofit organizations providing victim services in Rhode Island.

Click here to see news release

 

§  House, Senate oversight committees hear update on Washington Bridge
The House Committee on Oversight met jointly with the Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight to hear an update on the demolition and reconstruction of the westbound side of Washington Bridge from Department of Transportation Director Peter L. Alviti. The westbound span of the Washington Bridge was closed on Dec. 11, 2023, after the Department of Transportation announced the critical failure of some original bridge components.
Click here to see news release.

 

  • Legislators and Working Families Party announce ‘Working Families Agenda’
    A diverse group of legislators announced their Working Families Agenda, a list of top priorities for the 2025 legislative session.

Click here to see news release.

 

  • Shekarchi, Bissaillon mark opening of ECHO Village
    Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) and Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon (D-Dist. 1, Providence) joined other officials to mark the opening of ECHO Village, the first pallet shelter village in Rhode Island, designed to help address the state’s homelessness crisis. The project was supported by state fiscal recovery funds, a Community Development Block Grant, and funding from the city of Providence.
    Click here to see news release.                                              

 

A federal judge says President Trump's mass firings of government employees can continue for now. Multiple labor unions recently filed a lawsuit trying to block the administration's layoffs of thousands of probationary employees. On Thursday, the judge denied the bid, saying the federal court was not the appropriate avenue for their lawsuit.        The Trump administration is ending the temporary protected status of Haitian immigrants. Back in June, former President Biden announced Haitians would receive temporary protection due the island's violent domestic turmoil. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced it will end those protections.        There are no reports of injuries after three buses exploded near Tel Aviv. Police are calling it a suspected terror attack. Explosive devices on two other buses failed to detonate. The explosions happened in a parking lot in Bat Yam, which is south of Tel Aviv.        Millions are dealing with extreme cold weather from the plains to the southeast. Parts of the East Coast were hit with a ton of snow yesterday and treacherous travel conditions remain an issue. Most of it came down in Virgina and North Carolina, where more than a foot of snow fell in some areas.        Most Americans are worried about the Department of Government Efficiency's cuts impacting programs like student financial aid and Social Security payments. In a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, 58-percent of Americans said that they're worried about delays to those payments. President Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk to head the agency, but the White House noted earlier this week that he's technically not part of the group.        "Inside Out 2" is no longer the highest grossing animated movie of all time. The Chinese film "Ne Zha 2" [[ nah-zah ]] has now grossed about one-point-seven-billion dollars worldwide. Disney-Pixar's "Inside Out 2" raked in one-point-69-billion dollars last summer. "Ne Zha 2" is a sequel to the original 2019 movie. The fantasy adventure grossed around eight-point-three-million dollars in the U.S. since it released on Valentine's Day.       

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