Recognizes that municipal employees have the opportunity to utilize interest arbitration and would establish new factors for the arbitrators to consider. These factors include comparisons of wages/hourly conditions of employment in similarly skilled jobs.
Provides that all contractual provisions in a firefighters collective bargaining agreement continue until a successor agreement has been reached or an interest arbitration award has been rendered.
Extends provisions of an existing collective bargaining agreement for municipal police arbitration purposes until a successor agreement is reached or an interest arbitration award is rendered.
Establishes the Vegetation Planning and Management Act to provide guidelines for utilities to manage and maintain vegetation near power lines.
Amends definition for final compensation, relative to police officers and firefighters, provides them life annuity regardless of age or years of service, upon retirement and further provides additional benefits upon retirement.
Consolidates and transfers the duties of the state building inspector to the state building code commissioner and establish a state building code education and training academy.
Reduces the interest rate on delinquent payments to the twelve percent (12%) per annum.
Provides that any disaster response worker shall, in the course of their duties, be considered a state employee under the provisions of chapters 29 through 38 of title 28 and under § 9-31-8 of the general laws.
Provides that architects and other authorized disaster response workers be considered, in the course of performing their duties, state workers and be entitled to all rights in like manner as state employees.
Establishes thermal energy networks network infrastructure by any public utility company that provides electric/natural gas distribution to maximize cost-effective investments deemed in the public interest by the public utilities commission (PUC).
