Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H6126 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- H 6126
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7	7	LC002481
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION -- COASTAL RESOURCES MA NAGEMENT
16	16	COUNCIL
17	17	Introduced By: Representatives Finkelman, Cortvriend, Dawson, and Carson
18	18	Date Introduced: March 21, 2025
19	19	Referred To: House State Government & Elections
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21	21
22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Sections 46-23-2, 46-23-2.1 and 46-23-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 46-1
24	24	23 entitled "Coastal Resources Management Council" are hereby amended to read as follows: 2
25	25	46-23-2. Coastal resources management council created — Appointment of members. 3
26	26	(a) There Effective until January 1, 2026, there is hereby created the coastal resources 4
27	27	management council. The coastal resources management council shall consist of ten (10) members. 5
28	28	Nine (9) members shall be appointed by the governor, with advice and consent of the senate, and 6
29	29	one member shall serve ex officio. All current appointments to the coastal resources management 7
30	30	council made by the governor with advice and consent of the senate are hereby validated and 8
31	31	ratified and those appointees shall serve for the remainder of their term; provided, however, 9
32	32	notwithstanding any law to the contrary, all members of the coastal resources management council 10
33	33	appointed prior to January 1, 2026 shall have their term expire on January 1, 2026. 11
34	34	(1) Six Effective until January 1, 2026, six (6) of the members shall be appointed or elected 12
35	35	officials of local government: three (3) of whom shall be appointed or elected officials in a 13
36	36	municipality of fewer than twenty-five thousand (25,000) in population, three (3) of whom shall be 14
37	37	appointed or elected officials in a municipality of more than twenty-five thousand (25,000) in 15
38	38	population. The populations are to be determined by the latest federal census. Elected or appointed 16
39	39	municipal officials shall hold seats on the council only so long as they remain in their elected or 17
40	40	appointed office. Each municipal appointment shall cease if the appointed or elected official shall 18
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44	44	no longer hold or change the office which they held upon appointment. At least five (5) out of the 1
45	45	six (6) appointed or elected members must be appointed or elected in a coastal municipality. When 2
46	46	the governor submits his or her appointments to the senate for advice and consent, the governor 3
47	47	shall specify the appointed or elected office that each municipal appointment holds; the population 4
48	48	of the municipality represented; and the member being replaced. 5
49	49	(2) Three (3) members shall be appointed by the governor from the public, with the advice 6
50	50	and consent of the senate, one of the public members and his or her successors shall reside in a 7
51	51	coastal municipality. 8
52	52	(3) All members shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified; during the 9
53	53	month of January, the governor shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the senate, a member 10
54	54	to succeed the members whose term will then next expire for a term of three (3) years commencing 11
55	55	on the first day of February next following and until their successor is named and qualified. A 12
56	56	member shall be eligible for successive appointments. No more than two (2) persons on the council 13
57	57	shall be from the same municipality. A vacancy other than by expiration shall be filled in the 14
58	58	manner of the original appointment but only for the unexpired portion of the term. 15
59	59	(4) The director of the department of environmental management, or their designee, shall 16
60	60	serve ex officio. The ex-officio member shall not be counted as serving from any particular 17
61	61	municipality. 18
62	62	(2) On and after January 1, 2026, the governor shall appoint a coastal resources 19
63	63	management council that shall consist of seven (7) voting members, one of whom shall be the 20
64	64	attorney general or designee. The six (6) remaining members shall be public members appointed 21
65	65	by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. All appointed members shall possess 22
66	66	background, qualifications and expertise in environmental matters, provided that one of whom shall 23
67	67	be an engineer; one of whom shall be a coastal biologist; and one of whom shall be a representative 24
68	68	of an environmental organization. Current or past service on the coastal resources management 25
69	69	council shall not disqualify an individual from reappointment pursuant to this subsection. 26
70	70	(b) In addition to the foregoing voting members, the council may include a varying number 27
71	71	of other members who may serve in an advisory capacity without the right to vote and who may be 28
72	72	invited to serve by either the governor or the voting members. These advisory members may 29
73	73	represent the federal agencies such as the navy, coast guard, corps of engineers, public health 30
74	74	service, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, and such regional agencies as the 31
75	75	New England River Basins Commission and the New England Regional Commission and any other 32
76	76	group or interest not otherwise represented. 33
77	77	(c) There may be established a coastal resources advisory committee which committee, 34
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81	81	appointed by the executive director of the coastal resources management council, may include, but 1
82	82	not be limited to, representation from the following groups: one of whom may be a representative 2
83	83	of the university of Rhode Island graduate school of oceanography and the college of resources 3
84	84	development, one of whom may be a representative of the Sea Grant National College Program, 4
85	85	one of whom may be a representative of the army corps of engineers, one of whom may be a 5
86	86	representative of the federal environmental protection agency’s Narragansett Bay laboratory, one 6
87	87	of whom shall be a representative of the coastal resources management council, one of whom may 7
88	88	be the director of the department of environmental management; one of whom may be a member 8
89	89	of the Rhode Island Marine Trade Association and one of whom may be a representative of a 9
90	90	regional environmental group. The council shall have the authority to appoint these additional 10
91	91	members to the advisory committee as is deemed necessary or advisable by the advisory committee 11
92	92	or the council. It shall be the responsibility of the committee to advise the coastal resources 12
93	93	management council on environmental issues relating to dredging and permitting related thereto, 13
94	94	including, but not limited to, those issues defined in §§ 46-23-18.1 — 46-23-18.3, inclusive. 14
95	95	(d) The council shall have the authority to form committees of other advisory groups as 15
96	96	needed from both its own members and others. 16
97	97	46-23-2.1. Members — Term of office — Vacancies. 17
98	98	(a) The term of office of the appointed members shall be three (3) years, only so long as 18
99	99	the members shall remain eligible to serve on the council under the appointment authority. 19
100	100	(1) Subject to the provisions of § 46-23-2, all members shall serve until their successors 20
101	101	are appointed and qualified. 21
102	102	(2) Term limits on the coastal resources management council shall be determined by the 22
103	103	governor as follows: two (2) appointees shall serve an initial term of three (3) years and shall be 23
104	104	eligible for reappointment in accordance with this section; two (2) appointees shall serve an initial 24
105	105	term of two (2) years and shall be eligible for reappointment in accordance with this section; and 25
106	106	two (2) appointees shall serve an initial term of one year and shall be eligible for reappointment in 26
107	107	accordance with this section. 27
108	108	(3) After the expiration of the terms of all initial members pursuant to this subsection, 28
109	109	succeeding appointments shall be for a term of three (3) years, and during the month of January, 29
110	110	the governor shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the senate, a member to succeed the 30
111	111	member whose term will then next expire for a term of three (3) years commencing on the first day 31
112	112	of February next following and until a successor is named and qualified. 32
113	113	(b) The members are eligible for successive up to two (2) appointments. 33
114	114	(c) Elected or appointed municipal officials shall hold seats on the council, only so long as 34
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118	118	they remain in their elected or appointed office. 1
119	119	(d) A vacancy other than by expiration shall be filled in the manner of the original 2
120	120	appointment but only for the unexpired portion of the term. Any person appointed to fill said 3
121	121	vacancy shall complete the unexpired term and shall then be eligible for reappointment pursuant to 4
122	122	this section. The governor shall have the power to remove his or her appointee for just cause. 5
123	123	46-23-4. Officers of the council — Quorum and vote required for action. 6
124	124	The governor shall select from the appointed members a chairperson and vice chairperson. 7
125	125	The council shall thereupon select a secretary from among its membership or staff. The council 8
126	126	may engage staff, including legal counsel, as it deems necessary. A quorum shall consist of six (6) 9
127	127	members of the council provided, however, effective January 1, 2026, a quorum shall consist of 10
128	128	four (4) members of the council. A majority vote of those present shall be required for action. 11
129	129	SECTION 3. Section 46-23-12 of the General Laws in Chapter 46-23 entitled "Coastal 12
130	130	Resources Management Council" is hereby repealed. 13
131	131	46-23-12. Representation from coastal communities. 14
132	132	Upon the expiration of a term of a member appointed by the governor, as an appointed or 15
133	133	elected official of local government from a coastal municipality as set out in § 46-23-2, the governor 16
134	134	shall appoint an appointed or elected official of a coastal municipality which, at the time of the 17
135	135	governor’s appointment, has no appointed or ex officio representation on the council. 18
136	136	SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage. 19
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138	138	LC002481
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143	143	EXPLANATION
144	144	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
145	145	OF
146	146	A N A C T
147	147	RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION -- COASTAL RESOURCES MANAG EMENT
148	148	COUNCIL
149	149	***
150	150	This act would change and reduce the current composition of the coastal resources 1
151	151	management council (CRMC) reducing the current ten (10) member council to seven (7) members. 2
152	152	This act would take effect upon passage. 3
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154	154	LC002481
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