General Assembly passes three priority bills of the RI Department of State
PROVIDENCE, RI - Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore today issued the following statement in recognition of the end of the 2023 legislative session:
"Since taking office in January, I have prioritized promoting transparent government and strengthening our democracy through a commitment to secure elections. I was proud to make these bills part of my legislative priorities in order to achieve these goals. I thank our partners in the General Assembly who supported the RI Department of State's legislative priorities this year. The passage of these bills and the inclusion of our budget requests will increase access to government information, expand access to the ballot box, and improve our elections systems and security."
The General Assembly passed three of Secretary Amore's priority bills this session:
- H5462 Sub A (Diaz) / S742 Sub A (Lawson) – An Act Relating to Elections – State Board of Elections, which streamlines election administration by codifying policies adopted by the Board of Elections related to equipment testing, updates elections equipment purchasing protocols, and creates a non-voting Department of State liaison to Board of Elections meetings;
- H5517 Sub A (Donovan) / S752 Sub A (Britto) – An Act Relating to the General Assembly – Organization of General Assembly – which requires the RI Department of State to maintain a robust, online government directory, in addition to the provision of a limited number of printed copies;
- H5055 Sub A (Boylan) / S35 Sub A (Lawson) – An Act Relating to Elections – General Provisions – which allows 17-year-olds who would be 18 years old by election day to participate in the primary election that would determine the candidates in the general election.
Additionally, the FY24 budget passed by the General Assembly included funding to administer the special election in the First Congressional District. The budget also added two positions to the Department of State staff: a Network IT Manager to align with cybersecurity best practices and an in-house legal counsel.
To learn more about the Rhode Island Department of State, visit sos.ri.gov.
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