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3/18/2025
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Media Advisory: Committee to vote on bills from Speaker’s housing package Thursday
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STATE HOUSE — The House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing will meet Thursday to vote on several bills from Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) 12-bill package of housing legislation and to hear several other bills from the package. Speaker Shekarchi will also testify before the committee in support of the bills he is sponsoring.
The committee is scheduled to meet Thursday, March 20, 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 is scheduled to vote on several bills, including these from Speaker Shekarchi’s housing package:
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2025-H 5796 — This legislation sponsored by Rep. Jason Knight (D-Dist. 67, Barrington, Warren) is designed to encourage higher density development in areas within the urban services boundary. The legislation provides that the city or town shall allow residential uses other than solely single-family units in these areas where public water and sewer are available.
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2025-H 5797 — This legislation sponsored by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett) would enable municipalities to allow for the use of co-housing arrangements as energy-efficient, low-cost housing options similar to dorms in which there are common spaces, amenities and facilities, but residents have separate private bedrooms. The committee will also consider an amendment to the bill.
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2025-H 5798 — This legislation by Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol) is based on feedback from housing advocates and financial institutions regarding the demand for lower-cost home ownership opportunities, such as townhomes. This legislation encourages municipalities to allow such units where the structures share a party wall and a lot line, but are independent lots. The legislation would allow such type of units where zoning already allows the same density in a vertical style, by way of tenement or other two-, three- or multi-family structures. The committee will also consider an amendment to the bill.
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2025-H 5799 — This legislation introduced by Rep. Cherie L. Cruz (D-Dist. 58, Pawtucket) would allow oversized lots to be subdivided if the resulting lots are equal to or greater than the lots in the immediate area. Additionally, the legislation would allow administrative modifications of dimensional requirements based on the average dimensional standard of the surrounding structures. The committee will also consider an amendment to the bill.
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2025-H 5800 — This legislation sponsored by Rep. Robert E. Craven (D-Dist. 32, North Kingstown) would require municipalities to provide for village or mixed-use zoning to allow residential use in some or all areas of their commercial zoning districts.
The committee will also hear several bills, including these from Speaker Shekarchi’s housing package:
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2025-H 5793 — This legislation sponsored by Rep. Arthur J. Corvese (D-Dist. 55, North Providence) would allow an exemption from the local annual maximum tax levy for new construction of housing under certain conditions. The exemption would be contingent upon approval by the municipality and is only allowed where the new housing includes a portion of affordable units, among other criteria.
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2025-H 5801 — This legislation sponsored by Representative Speakman would amend Rhode Island’s Low and Moderate Housing Act to clarify standards and findings required for development.
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2025-H 5802 — This legislation sponsored by Rep. Thomas E. Noret (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick) would leverage data collected by the Commission to Study the Cost and Status of State-Owned Vacant Properties to review state-owned vacant and abandoned properties that may be utilized for housing opportunities throughout the state. This legislation establishes a streamlined approval process to be used for such properties.
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2025-H 5803 — This legislation sponsored by Speaker Shekarchi would require that applications for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to utilize the e-permitting system created by legislation in last year’s housing package by October 2026.
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2025-H 5804 — This legislation also sponsored by Speaker Shekarchi would build upon legislation introduced in last year’s housing package that codified the structure of the State Building Code Office and clarified the role of the State Building Code Commissioner. This legislation would provide additional clarity and centralize roles and quorums in order to further streamline the process and centralize the duties of the state officials, employees, commissions and boards related to building and fire codes and permitting.
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 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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