(Updated, 11:45 a.m.)
PROVIDENCE – Lawmakers passed legislation in the waning hours of this week’s special General Assembly session that would reconstitute the board of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation and alter its leader’s contract.
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The two bills, which now head to the governor, would expand the board membership from 9 to 13. They would also allow the state to extend a three-year contract offer to the agency’s director, rather than having the official’s term tied to the governor’s.
The EDC has lacked a permanent director since Saul Kaplan resigned last December. Gov. Donald L. Carcieri had called on lawmakers to make the contract term change in order to attract a quality candidate.
Separate legislation passed by the Assembly would create an ombudsman within the EDC to help small businesses cut through state bureaucracy. “Small businesses bear a disproportionate share of regulatory costs and burdens,” the bill said, and their inability to navigate the system as well as larger businesses stemmed competition.
A spokeswoman for the governor said he supports the EDC legislation.
During the session, the General Assembly also passed bills that would ban indoor prostitution in Rhode Island; ban saltwater fishing without a license; prohibit minors from working in strip clubs; give public water utilities more power to adjust customer rates based on usage; prohibit text-messaging while driving; and create a Green Jobs Task Force.
Lawmakers also approved legislation that would strip the governor of his right to appoint an interim senator to fill a vacancy; instead, a special election would be held to appoint a successor. Voters also will be asked next year if they want to remove “and Providence Plantations” from the state’s official name.
