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Committee hears bill to add $50 license fee for hospitality training and workforce grants
Summary
A bill would add a $50 annual fee assessed via the Department of Health food-service licenses to create a restricted receipt account for hospitality workforce training; industry groups backed the proposal as a way to fund mandatory food-safety and alcohol-service training for entry-level workers.
Chairman McNamara introduced House Bill 5942, proposing that the Rhode Island Department of Health charge an additional $50 fee on food-service licenses and place the proceeds into a restricted receipt account at the Department of Labor and Training for hospitality workforce training grants.
McNamara said the fee would help subsidize mandatory food-safety and responsible alcohol-service training for entry-level hospitality workers, many of whom are students or seasonal workers. “When you're hiring, sometimes ... asking them to pay a hundred dollars to take a safe food handling course is a lot,” McNamara said, noting the bill would lower the burden on new hires.
Representatives of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association described the classes as substantial requirements that include a minimum of eight hours of instruction, a 90-question exam for ServSafe food-safety certification, and state-approved instructor qualifications. Heather Singleton said the certification is valid for five years and instructors must be certified by the Rhode Island Department of Health and a national partner such as the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe program.
Bill Walsh of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association said the fee—applied to roughly 6,000 food establishments—would generate about $300,000 annually and help replace one-time federal funds that previously supported industry workforce training.
Witnesses from the Rhode Island Business Coalition and others signed in supporting the bill but did not testify in person. The committee did not take a final vote and kept the bill in play for further committee work.
