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S 2716Government

General Assembly - Joint Committee of the Repealer

This bill creates a bipartisan legislative committee dedicated to identifying and recommending the repeal of outdated or anti-business laws.

Introduced
Population
Affected
45
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This bill establishes a new legislative group called the "Joint Committee of the Repealer." The committee will consist of six members: three from the Senate and three from the House of Representatives, representing both political parties. The committee's specific purpose is to gather suggestions from citizens, businesses, and government agencies regarding laws, regulations, or executive orders that are outdated or harmful to business. After reviewing these suggestions, the committee will recommend to the General Assembly or the Governor which statutes or orders should be repealed. The committee is set to operate until December 31, 2032.

For younger readers

This bill creates a specific team of lawmakers called the "Joint Committee of the Repealer." There will be six people on this team, chosen from the state government. Their job is to listen to people and business owners who think certain rules or laws are too old or make it hard to run a business. After listening to these ideas, the team will tell the state leaders which laws should be cancelled. This team will keep working until the end of the year 2032.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Business ownersState legislatorsGovernment agenciesRhode Island citizensGovernor's office
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Creates a formal mechanism to identify and remove "archaic" laws, which could include outdated statutes that are discriminatory or no longer serve the interests of a modern, diverse society.
  • Mandates a bipartisan composition for the committee, ensuring that the minority party has a voice in the review process and preventing a single party from unilaterally controlling the agenda.
  • Encourages participatory democracy by explicitly inviting suggestions from citizens, giving the public a direct channel to voice concerns about laws that may be impacting their communities negatively.
  • Explicitly targets regulations that are not "business-friendly," raising concerns that important environmental, labor, and consumer protections could be framed as burdens and targeted for repeal.
  • Focuses resources on deregulation rather than systemic reform or strengthening social safety nets, potentially signaling a shift in legislative priority toward corporate interests over community welfare.
  • Lacks specific language protecting essential public services or civil rights from being included in the "repeal" recommendations, creating a risk that regulations benefiting the poor could be cut to reduce government size.
For Conservatives
  • Directly addresses the conservative priority of reducing government size and scope by establishing a dedicated body solely focused on repealing statutes and regulations.
  • Specifically prioritizes the identification of laws that are not "business-friendly," supporting corporate freedom and potentially stimulating economic growth by removing regulatory hurdles.
  • Promotes the rule of law and government efficiency by targeting "archaic and out of date" statutes, aiming to clean up the legal code and remove obsolete government interference.
  • Creates a new government committee and bureaucracy to solve the problem of too much government, which may be viewed as an inefficient and contradictory use of taxpayer resources.
  • Lacks the power to actually repeal laws, as it can only make recommendations to the General Assembly or Governor, potentially resulting in a "toothless" committee that fails to achieve real deregulation.
  • Remains subject to the appointments of the Senate President and Speaker of the House, meaning the majority party retains control over the committee's membership and could block meaningful conservative reforms.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 20 additions

SECTION 1. Title 22 of the General Laws entitled "GENERAL ASSEMBLY" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 22-11.1-1. Joint committee of the repealer – Composition.

(a) There is hereby created a joint committee of the repealer. The joint committee of the repealer shall consist of six (6) members: three (3) of whom shall be members of the senate, not more than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the senate president; and three

(3) of whom shall be members of the house of representatives, not more than two (2) from the same political party to be appointed by the speaker of the house.

(b) The senate president and the speaker of the house shall consult with the house and senate minority leaders on the appointment of the minority members. 22-11.1-2. Powers and duties of joint committee of the repealer.

(a) The joint committee of the repealer shall have the authority to:

(1) Compile suggestions for repeal of statutes, regulations, and executive orders received from citizens, businesses, and government agencies, including, but not limited to, those that are not considered "business-friendly", and those that are archaic and out of date;

(2) Following review of suggestions, make recommendations to the general assembly and propose repeal of statutes and regulations through legislation; and

(3) Following review of suggestions may make recommendations for repeal of executive orders to the governor. 22-11.1-3. Duration of joint committee of the repealer. The committee shall be in existence until December 31, 2032, unless further extended by the general assembly.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.