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5/12/2025
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Senate OKs Bissaillon bill reviving board that brings together conservation, affordable housing interests
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 STATE HOUSE – The Senate has approved legislation sponsored by Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee Chairman Jacob E. Bissaillon to revive a state board that brings together leaders in land conservation, construction, and affordable housing to promote sustainable housing growth throughout Rhode Island. Although established in 1990, the Rhode Island Housing and Conservation Board was never fully staffed nor funded.
The legislation (2025-S 0711), which passed the Senate Thursday, reconstitutes the membership of the Rhode Island Housing and Conservation Board, which was established in law 35 years ago with the intention of creating and sustaining low-and moderate-income housing and conserving and protecting important Rhode Island lands. Senator Bissaillon’s bill expands the board from nine members to 15 to include the wide variety of perspectives and stakeholders in the board’s dual purpose of affordable housing creation and conservation, and requires that its members be appointed by Dec. 31, 2026.
“It may seem on the surface that housing development and conservation are two forces that would be at odds, but the revitalization of the Rhode Island Housing and Conservation Board is enthusiastically supported by both environmental and affordable housing advocates across our state as the right setting for them to team up for the benefit of both their causes — and most importantly, for the benefit of Rhode Islanders, all of whom deserve safe, affordable housing and access to green spaces, fresh air and clean water,” said Chairman Bissaillon (D-Dist. 1, Providence). “This board brings together the leaders of both these realms to create the future we want and need. We can create new affordable housing and conserve green spaces at the same time, and there’s a lot of excitement among those who work on each of these goals for this opportunity to join forces.”
The 15-member board would include representatives of the Department of Environmental Management, the Secretary of Housing, the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation, and the Office of Statewide Planning as non-voting ex-officio members. The other 11 voting members, who would be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, would represent the environmental community, the conservation and land trust community, family farms, municipal planners from small and large communities, a nonprofit community development corporation, the housing land trust community, the for-profit development community, land use/smart growth interests, a tenant advocacy organization and historic preservation interests, with an eye toward reflecting the demographic diversity of the state, including the Black, Brown and Indigenous communities.
The legislation that originally established the board put it in charge of administering the Rhode Island Housing and Conservation Trust Fund to effectuate its goals of affordable housing creation and conservation. No funding was ever allocated to that fund. This legislation does not allocate any state funding, although it does leave open the possibility that the board could accept federal funding, private grants, donations, loans or other funding for the trust fund. If funding becomes available, the legislation would require that 35% of annual allocations fund affordable housing creation, 35% fund conservation, and 30% support projects that do both.
But whether or not there are funds to expend, the opportunity to bring together leaders in conservation and affordable housing development for collaboration is very valuable, according to advocates and organizations that support the bill, which include the Rhode Island Land Trust Council, Environment Council of Rhode Island, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the Housing Network of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Farm Bureau, One Neighborhood Builders, the Nature Conservancy, the Village Common of Rhode Island and others.
“We are thrilled that the Senate passed S711 with such strong support. At its core, this bill is about balance- ensuring that Rhode Islanders have both a healthy and affordable place to live, and access to the open spaces that make communities healthy, vibrant, and resilient,” said Kate Sayles, executive director of the Rhode Island Land Trust Council. “We are grateful to Senator Bissaillon and the broad coalition that came together behind this effort, and we look forward to keeping the momentum going.”
Said Melina Lodge, executive director of the Housing Network of Rhode Island, “Too often decision makers have been forced to choose between investing in equally important but competing priorities. The lack of structured forums and incentives that foster cross-sector collaboration result in outcomes that look like ‘this OR that’ rather than ‘this AND that.’ S711 offers the opportunity for a shift in that way of thinking, establishing a formal table that will allow the affordable housing and conservation sectors to come together and engage in meaningful discussion and discourse to allow for the advancement of mutually aligned goals. We are so pleased to see this effort move forward with such strong support from the Senate and look forward to the opportunities ahead.”
The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives, where Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol) is sponsoring companion legislation (2025-H 5310).
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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