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3/11/2024
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Media Advisory: Committee to hear bills from Speaker’s housing package Tuesday
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STATE HOUSE – The House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing will meet Tuesday to hear four bills from the package House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi introduced last week, alongside bills relating to the taxation of affordable housing, the state building code and local taxes and ordinances.
The committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, March 12, at the rise of the House sometime after 4:30 p.m. in Room 101 on the first floor of the State House. The committee will hear 12 bills, including four from the Speaker’s housing package:
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2024-H 7982 —This bill, introduced by Rep. Terri Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown), would amend provisions relative to the application of zoning ordinances pertaining to wetland buffers to projects for development, redevelopment, construction or rehabilitation. The legislation makes clear that there can be no local regulation of coastal wetlands and freshwater wetlands beyond the requirements of the relevant state agency. The legislation does not remove any responsibility from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council or Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
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2024-H 7983 — This bill, introduced by Rep. Cherie L. Cruz (D-Dist. 58, Pawtucket), would clarify the makeup and structure of the State Building Code Office, and also clarifies the role of the State Building Code Commissioner by modifying statutory language to create a similar scope of responsibility and authority over building code issues, as the State Fire Marshal has over the fire code issues.
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2024-H 7985 — This bill, introduced by Rep. Tina Spears (D-Dist. 36, Charlestown, New Shoreham, South Kingstown, Westerly), would further enable statewide planning, in conjunction with other agencies and the University of Rhode Island, to broaden the state’s Geographic Information System to include updated municipal information, such as zoning, and develop greater utilization, public access and transparency across the state. It also encourages collaboration between municipalities, nonprofits, and state agencies.
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2024-H 7986 — This bill, introduced by Rep. José F. Batista (D-Dist. 12, Providence), would amend the existing statute for abandoned properties to further require a municipal inventory, with yearly updating, for abandoned properties and clarifies the process regarding the required abatement of abandoned properties.
Written testimony must be submitted to HouseMunicipalGovernmentandHousing@rilegislature.gov. Testimony must include your name, the bill number, and your viewpoint, whether for, against, or neither. Sign-up sheets for in-person testimony will be available in the hearing room.
The meeting will be televised live by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. It will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv.
For more information, contact:
Tristan Grau, Publicist
State House Room B20
Providence, RI 02903
401.222.4935
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