The Rhode Island House of Representatives does not define the jurisdictions of its committees. #
House Corporations Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House Education Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House Environment and Natural Resources Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House Health and Human Services Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House Innovation, Internet, and Technology Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
House Judiciary Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House Labor Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House Municipal Government and Housing Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House Small Business Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House State Government and Elections Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
Joint Committee on Legislative Services #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
- “(a) It shall be exclusively the responsibility of the joint committee to act upon all administrative matters affecting the operation of the general assembly, including, but not limited to:
- “(1) The preparation of the legislative payrolls;
- “(2) The preparation of requests for the annual operating budget for the general assembly;
- “(3) The control of house and senate appropriations, including expenditures of standing, select, and special committees of the general assembly, except those provided otherwise by law;
- “(4) All printing for the general assembly and its members and staff including, but not limited to, stationery, bills and journals and covers for them, daily calendars, public laws, acts of a local and private nature, and resolutions;
- “(5) The procuring of office space, supplies, equipment, and professional and technical assistants for the general assembly; and
- “(6) The exclusive responsibility for the purchase or rental of and the installation, obtaining, upkeep, and maintenance of electronic voting devices and equipment incidental to the devices, and sound systems for the house of representatives and senate chambers, including, but not limited to, entering into contracts and agreements for the purchase, rental, installation, or maintenance of the equipment and procuring the necessary supplies for the systems.
- “(b) In addition, the joint committee will have exclusive authority on office space allocations and maintenance and repair in this state capitol building for all agencies of government, except the offices of the governor and the offices of the secretary of state” (RI Gen L § 22-11-3. (2022)).
Joint Committee on State Lottery #
Website #
Membership and documents available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“The permanent joint committee on state lottery shall have the authority to:
- “(a) Provide oversight to the state lottery and the division of state lottery;
- “(b) Confer as the committee deems desirable with the director of lotteries;
- “(c) Recommend the type of lotteries to be conducted;
- “(d) Issue subpoenas, subpoenas duces tecum and orders for the production of books, accounts, papers, records and documents, and;
- “(e) Make recommendations to the general assembly and propose legislation regarding the operation of the state lottery” (RI Gen L § 22-14.2-2. (2022)).
Senate Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters relating to the creation, use, and regulation of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, and to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-11).
Senate Commerce Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on commerce to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters relating to financial institutions, business regulation, property and casualty insurance, technology and telecommunications, for profit as well as not-for-profit business entities, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-8).
Senate Education Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on education to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters relating to student performance, governance, programming, teacher preparation and planning, as well as the work and operation of all state agencies regarding all levels of education, make findings, and recommend policy initiatives and other actions to the general assembly. The committee shall also exercise oversight in relation to the implementation of all legislation and grants of authority relating to all levels of public education in the state by all agencies, state and local, charged and empowered by the general assembly in relating to all levels of public education, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-7).
Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on environment and agriculture to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters relating to the conservation of the air, land, water, plant, animal, mineral and other natural resources of the state, and to adopt all means necessary and proper by law to protect the natural environment of the people of the state by providing adequate resource planning for the control and regulation of the use of the natural resources of the state and for the preservation, regeneration, and restoration of the natural environment of the state, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-9).
Senate Health and Human Services Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on health and human services to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and to consider all reports of the departments of health, of human services, of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, of children, youth and families, and of elderly affairs; to consider all legislation and matters expanding or defining further areas of responsibility of the foregoing and to consider all legislation and matters relative to public health and welfare; health care and human service access and quality; health and human service professional standards of practice, and facility standards of care; to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction; and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-6).
Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on housing and municipal government to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters affecting housing, municipal government, transportation, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-3).
Senate Judiciary Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on judiciary to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters which affect the penal code, judicial system, ethics, open meetings, access to public records and election laws of the state, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction, expulsion of a member and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate. In the matters of judicial appointments, expulsion of a member and those public hearings designated by the committee chair, all testimony shall be under oath and preserved by stenographic record which shall be transcribed upon the order of the chair” (Senate Rule 5.1-1).
Senate Labor & Gaming Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on labor to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters relating to gaming issues, constitutional amendments relating to gaming issues, the workers’ compensation and labor laws of the state, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-4).
Senate Rules, Government Ethics, and Oversight Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on rules, government ethics and oversight consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate, and (1) Consider all matters relating to the rules of the senate; (2) to ensure that the members of the Senate and its staff, through education, monitoring and disseminating the opinions of the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct, respect the public trust and the rights of all persons, be open, accountable and responsive, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and not use their position for private gain or advantage; (3) to monitor and evaluate past, current and prospective performance of public bodies and statutory entities, including quasi-public agencies that exercise executive governmental functions (except public bodies and statutory entities of the legislative and judiciary branches of the state) and any other public or private person, including any agencies, partnerships, corporation or business entity insofar as such person is acting on behalf of and/or in place of any public agency; (4) to consider the organization, reorganization, creation or termination of such public bodies, statutory entities, including quasi-public agencies and public or private persons; (5) to review and consider the reports of the auditor general; (6) to report its opinion and/or recommendation of legislation or action regarding the foregoing matters; (7) to consider any bill referred to it by the senate, including, but not limited to any act, resolve, resolution or petition; and (8) to consider such other matters that are referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-10).
Senate Special Legislation and Veterans’ Affairs Committee #
Website #
Membership available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“It shall be the duty of the committee on special legislation and veterans’ affairs to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters relating to constitutional amendments, liquor laws, license plates, veterans’ affairs, domestic animals, commissions and resolutions, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate” (Senate Rule 5.1-5).
