Maddy summaryHB 5796 amends Rhode Island's zoning law to require municipalities to include new residential options in their zoning ordinances. Specifically, it adds a requirement that zoning rules must permit "residential use options that are not limited to single-family detached structures" in areas with existing public water and sewer capacity within urban service boundaries. This change directly affects towns and cities as they update their zoning codes, enabling more housing types like duplexes or townhomes without requiring new infrastructure. The key mechanism is mandating this flexibility in zoning districts where water and sewer systems already exist, aiming to increase housing diversity. The bill does not override existing single-family zoning but expands permissible options in eligible areas.
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Provides extended producer responsibility for packaging and paper, recycling of beverage containers, and provides general provisions for oversight of single-stage producer organizations.
Protects the personal information of judicial officers and their immediate family members who serve or have served the RI unified judicial system, as well as judicial officers who reside in RI and who serve or have served in the federal courts.
Amends the administration requirements a zoning ordinance must provide and/or designate and would require that zoning certificates be issued within 20 days of the written request.
Prohibits utility companies from limiting the eligibility of a net metering site based on prior consumption and requires excess energy not consumed under the net metering system to be credited to the consumer.
Provides an exemption for certain incarcerated persons from the payment of fees for a first request for vital statistics from the department of health.
Ensures that RI DOH is able to access the full calendar year worth of housing choice voucher data by moving the report submission deadline to align with availability of federal data.
Maddy summaryHB 6157 creates a new commercial fishing license for Rhode Island residents to harvest invasive green crabs (Carcinus maenas) at a $10 annual fee. The bill authorizes residents to legally remove this invasive species, which threatens local ecosystems, and allows the director to establish regulations for the license. This policy directly affects Rhode Island residents seeking to commercially target green crabs as a management tool, with the license taking effect January 1, 2026.
Increases from 7 days to 9 days the period of time in which a request for a recount of the votes cast can be made to the board of elections and no certificates of election may be issued until the recount, if any, is completed.
Maddy summaryHB 6323 renames the East Bay Bike Path Bridge in Warren (spanning the Palmer River) as the Cpl. Richard C. Brule Bridge. This bill directly affects the location by changing its official name to honor a specific individual. The legislation is purely procedural, with no policy changes beyond the naming designation. It passed both chambers and was signed into law on June 23, 2025.