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6/7/2023
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House passes Kennedy bill to facilitate business response during declared state emergencies
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STATE HOUSE — The House of Representatives today passed legislation introduced by Speaker Pro
Tempore Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-Dist. 38, Hopkinton, Westerly) that would help businesses to respond in a rapid manner during declared emergencies in Rhode Island.
The bill (2023-H 5838) would provide thresholds for establishing presence, as well as residency for doing business in the state for out-of-state employees and businesses that temporarily provide resources and personnel in the state during a state of emergency declared by either the governor or the president of the United States.
“This updates legislation that was sponsored by Rep. Kennedy and first passed back the General Assembly in 2012. Typically, this legislation would be utilized by a wireless company coming into Rhode Island to fix the network if we were to have a major natural disaster,” said Representative Kennedy. “At the same time, this could even apply to the distribution of our electrical system if, for instance, we had to bring in individuals from out of state to help rebuild the grid.”
The bill includes important provisions that will facilitate the wireless industry’s rapid response to disasters and emergencies. The legislation recognizes the temporary nature of a declared disaster and relaxes thresholds for establishing an in-state presence for employees and resources. For example, wireless providers need the flexibility to bring out-of-state employees into the state temporarily without having to subject those employees to state or local tax withholding payments or subject them to state licensing or registration requirements during a declared disaster.
“The National Conference of State Legislatures adopted the bill as model legislation,” said Representative Kennedy, who serves as president-elect of the organization. “It also has been endorsed by the Multistate Tax Commission.
Rhode Island would join 38 other states that passed similar legislation recognizing the need to ensure that wireless companies and utility companies can deploy personnel and resources into the state as quickly as possible to respond to the needs of their customers.
The measure now moves to the Senate, where similar legislation (2023-S 0474) has been introduced by Sen. Mark P. McKenney (D-Dist. 30, Warwick).
For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922
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