Legislative Watch
Issues on the horizon in the RI General Assembly.
During the 2025 General Assembly, the CIRI Legislative Committee has again monitored all submitted bills – while actively making our views known on issues of importance to our members. These highly focused efforts include advocating for substantial infrastructure funding in the RI state budget.
After careful study of a multitude of House and Senate bills, here are two submitted bills we’ve identified as warranting opposition by CIRI for its members.
Payment of wages • opposing
(S 069 • H 5366) This bill would basically require general contractors to be liable for any unpaid wages and benefits — along with any penalties and other costs incurred by the subcontractor’s actions on a project — even though the subcontractor has been paid by the GC. This joint and several liability would also extend to subcontractors “at any tier.” As it did in the 2024 sessions, CIRI will continue to advocate for amendments to protect our members and our industry.
The RI Opportunity for Employee Ownership Act • opposing
(S 752 • H 5940) This bill would essentially create a “right of first refusal” for employees of a company to purchase a business — including family-owned generational businesses — if ownership decides to sell at least 51% of the business. The owners would need to notify all current full-time and part-time workers within 7 days. The workers would then have 30 days to signal interest in buying the business. Beyond that, if a qualified employee group (QEG) is formed, the owner and QEG must agree on a price within 180 days.
ON THE FEDERAL FRONT
Registration fees proposed for electric/hybrid vehicles • supporting
Electric and hybrid vehicles contribute proportionately to the wear-and-tear on our nation’s highways and bridges. However, there is currently no provision for their owners to contribute to the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which is financed by federal gas tax monies. On April 30, the House Transportation Committee advanced a portion of the Republican budget reconciliation package proposing new fees, both indexed for inflation, to address this inequity:
- $250 annual registration fee for electric cars and light trucks
- $100 annual registration fee on hybrid cars and light truck
The proposed legislation was amended from an earlier version that included a $20 fee on all other cars and light trucks. That fee is no longer in the bill. The April 30 measure will be combined with legislation from other committees into a larger reconciliation package, scheduled for consideration by the full House in late spring or early summer. If enacted, it will mark the first time in over 20 years that the HTF is augmented by user-fee revenues.
