How bad legislation gets passed- a House debate in 5 minutes

How does bad legislation pass the General Assembly?

With laughter.

“I’m not going to say it’s a good bill, but I move passage,” said Representative Joseph Shekarchi about the Plumber’s Continuing Education Bill. The bill, which mandates continuing education for plumbers unless the plumber’s age and experience add up to 80 or more, went on to pass the House 59-10. On July 15 the bill became law without Governor Gina Raimondo‘s signature. She didn’t veto the legislation, but she wasn’t about to add her name to it.

Representative Jared Nunes rose to oppose the bill, calling it, “really poor public policy,” before adding, “you almost have to be a mathematician to figure out if you can be a plumber or not.”

Featuring Representatives Nicholas Mattiello, Joseph Shekarchi, Jared Nunes, Joseph Trillo and Stephen Ucci.

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