Bevy of bills by area legislators advance

As the end of this year's General Assembly nears, local legislators push to get bills passed

Senate OKs Gu bill protecting parking at shore access points

The Senate approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Victoria Gu to protect the public’s access to the shore by establishing requirements that must be followed before parking can be reduced or restricted near any Coastal Resources Management Council designated right of way.

The bill is part of a package of bills sponsored in the Senate by Senator Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown) and in the House by Rep. Terri Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown) to protect public shoreline access.

The bill (2025-S 0716aa) would set requirements that municipalities, private agencies and other organizations would have to follow before they could reduce or restrict parking near designated CRMC rights of way. These requirements would include submitting a comprehensive parking plan, analyzing the impact on accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act and conducting a public comment period of at least 30 days. It would also allow the CRMC and DEM to enforce these requirements and impose fines and penalties if they are violated. Any fines and penalties would go into a newly created Rhode Island Shoreline Access Improvement Fund, a restricted receipt account that will be used to support projects enhancing public access to the shoreline.

The bill now goes to the House, where Representative Cortvriend is sponsoring its companion (2025-H 6093).

“Sometimes, local governments — often pressured by nearby property owners — will remove or reduce public parking near beach access points. This makes it harder for the public to visit, since fewer people will come if they can’t park nearby. This legislation provides guardrails and a public, transparent process if there is any effort to reduce or restrict the parking available near a CRMC-designated right of way to the shore,” said Senator Gu.

In recent years changes to parking near public rights of way have drawn complaints from members of the public who say that they serve to restrict public access to only those who already live on the waterfront.

House approves Fogarty bill that would allow driver education in an instructor-led virtual format

The House of Representatives passed legislation introduced by Rep. Kathleen A. Fogarty (D-Dist. 35, South Kingstown) that would allow virtual driver education classes.

The bill (2025-H 5731A) would permit instructor-led virtual instruction for driver education until July 1, 2027, and calls for an evaluation of the program.

“Not everyone has access to driver’s education classrooms, and many students prefer virtual learning, particularly those with physical or learning challenges,” said Representative Fogarty. “It also provides an alternative for families whose parents may not be able to take the time off to bring their children to driving instruction in traditional classrooms.”

Mary Maguire, vice president of public and government affairs for AAA Northeast, testified in favor of the bill, telling the House Committee on State Government and Elections, “During the pandemic, students could only take driver education virtually, and the format proved to be very effective. During the pandemic, we taught almost 100 virtual classes to more than 2,300 Rhode Island students. We found that our virtually trained students’ average test scores were almost identical to what they were before COVID.”

Under the terms of the legislation, the Board of Education would be required to provide a report comparing test scores of virtual versus in-person instruction to the speaker of the House and president of the Senate no later than Sept. 1, 2027.

The measure now moves to the Senate where similar legislation (2025-S 0832) has been introduced by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Newport, Tiverton, Little Compton).      

Senate approves Sosnowski legislation creating license to harvest invasive green crabs

Schoodic Institute/Suzannah Buzzell

The Senate approved legislation introduced by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown) that would create a license for the harvesting of green crabs.

The European green crab is an invasive species in Rhode Island’s coastal waters. Like many invasive species, the green crab poses a threat to the ecosystem and is particularly harmful for shellfish and eelgrass habitats, which serve as nurseries for native marine species.

The bill (2025-S 0938A) would authorize the Department of Environmental Management to offer commercial licenses for the taking of green crabs subject to a fee of $10.

“Not only are green crabs an invasive species, they are also a high-protein food source,” said Senator Sosnowski, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture. “Under current state law, they can only be caught with a $200 non-lobster crustacean endorsement add-on to the DEM marine license. A $10 license exclusively for green crabs would greatly increase access to the harvesting of a species that is endangering native sea life, including quahogs and blue crabs.”

The measure now moves to the House of Representatives where similar legislation (2025-H 6157) has been introduced by Rep. Kathleen A. Fogarty (D-Dist. 35, South Kingstown).           

Senate approves Sosnowski bid to make clean air, soil and climate a state constitutional right

The Senate approved a resolution introduced by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown) that seeks to add a Green Amendment to the state constitution.

The resolution (2025-S 0327) would ask the state’s voters to amend Article I of the state constitution to provide all people in the state with an inherent, inalienable, indefeasible and self-executing right to clean air, health and uncontaminated soil, a life supporting climate and the preservation of the environment’s natural, scenic and recreational values.

“When it comes to protecting the environment, Rhode Island has always been a leader, and I’m proud that the General Assembly has prioritized protecting the vast natural resources of our small state,” said Senator Sosnowski, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture. “This would ask Rhode Island voters to forever enshrine in our constitution the protection of these resources for present and future generations.”

If enacted, Rhode Island would join Montana, Pennsylvania and New York in preserving environmental rights in its constitution.

The measure, which would be placed on the ballot at the next statewide general election, now moves to the House of Representatives where similar legislation (2025-H 5732) has been introduced by Rep. David A. Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Warwick, Cranston), who chairs the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

Senate passes DiMario’s textile recycling bill

UpriseRI

The Senate approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham) that would create a public outreach campaign about textile recycling.

“This legislation is needed because most of the public does not realize that textiles can be recycled and that recycled textiles are a valuable commodity.  And by increasing the practice of textile recycling, we will also be able to extend the life of the state’s landfill, which is rapidly approaching its capacity.  At a time when we are striving to create a more sustainable way of life, this bill will move us closer to that goal,” said Senator DiMario.

According to the most recent data, an estimated 28,860 tons of textiles from residential, industrial and commercial institutions were delivered to the landfill per year, and the state’s only landfill will reach its capacity by 2046.

The legislation (2025-S 0324) would create a public education outreach program to educate residential households and commercial businesses on the value of, and proper methods to, recycle textiles in the state.  The bill also contains a reporting and accountability requirement to measure if the outreach and education program is effective in helping individuals, businesses, and municipalities increase their textile recycling rates and divert textiles from the landfill.

It was developed with input from the Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, the League of Cities and Towns, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island (BBBSRI).  Organizations like BBBSRI recycle non-usable textiles and utilize the profits to fund essential programs.  In addition, cities and towns will benefit from reduced tipping fees if textiles are recycled properly as opposed to being thrown away.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration, where Rep. Raymond A. Hull (D-Dist. 6, Providence, North Providence) has introduced the legislation (2025-H 5293).  Representative Hull’s bill was approved by the House on March 20 and was passed by the Senate Environment and Agricultural Committee on May 28.