PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Key pieces of House Democratic leaders' economic development package will head to the full House of Representatives for a vote next week.
The House Finance Committee approved six of the proposals -- at least one with substantive revisions -- on Wednesday.
Notably, House Finance Committee Chairman Helio Melo's bill to reorganize state government around a new "Executive Office of Commerce" no longer calls for shifting business and building permitting duties from the state Department of Environmental Management and the Coastal Resources Management Council.
Melo, an East Providence Democrat, said change comes in response to strong protests from Governor Chafee, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local environmental groups about the risks to Rhode Island's natural assets.
The proposal still calls, however, for the new commerce office to take over duties from some of the state's largest agencies, including the Department of Administration, Business Regulation, and Labor and Training.