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1/21/2026
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Media Advisory: House Environment Committee to hear bills related to plants and farmland Thursday
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STATE HOUSE — The House Environment and Natural Resources Committee will meet Thursday to hear bills related to invasive plants, native pollinators and the definitions of farmland and farmers.
The committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, Jan. 22, at the rise of the House, sometime after 4:30 p.m. in the House Lounge on the second floor of the State House. The committee is scheduled to hear several bills, including:
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2026-H 7071 —This legislation introduced by Rep. Jennifer Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence) would prohibit the importation, transportation, disbursement, distribution, sale, purchase or possession of any species of non-native invasive plants.
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2026-H 7072 —This legislation introduced by Rep. Megan L. Cotter (D-Dist. 39, Exeter, Richmond, Hopkinton) would amend the definition of farm and agricultural land to include land on which agricultural operations are being conducted or is suitable for agriculture operations, and would further expand the definition of a farmer.
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2026-H 7074 —This legislation introduced by Rep. Michelle McGaw (D-Dist. 71, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton) would require the Department of Transportation to plant pollinator friendly native species of trees, shrubs, grasses and plants within limits of a roadway, including state highways.
The committee will also hear a presentation from EC Power CEO Anders Thorsen covering Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems.
Written testimony must be submitted at HouseEnvironmentandNaturalResources@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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