Provides the general assembly make an annual appropriation of not less than eighty thousand dollars ($80,000) to the Rhode Island emergency management agency to assist with emergency communications during major or multiple emergency incidents.
Summary
H6004 would require the Rhode Island General Assembly to appropriate at least $80,000 each year to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) for emergency communications support. The funding is intended to help during major or multiple emergency incidents, and also when a community has exhausted its own emergency resources and requests assistance through mutual aid control centers.
The bill directs how the annual appropriation would be distributed among designated control centers. Four regional control centers — metro, east bay, northern, and southern — would each receive at least $12,500, while backup control centers would each receive at least $7,500. The measure takes effect immediately upon passage and is framed as a standing annual funding requirement rather than a one-time grant.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend Rhode Island’s Emergency Management law in chapter 30-15 by adding a new section requiring a recurring state appropriation for mutual aid control centers. It would create a statutory funding floor for RIEMA support of emergency communications, thereby affecting state budgeting and the operation of regional emergency coordination networks. The bill would not appear to change emergency response powers or mutual aid obligations directly, but it would provide dedicated state funding to communities designated as control or backup control centers.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be a straightforward support bill for emergency preparedness and communications infrastructure. Its purpose is practical and noncontroversial on its face, emphasizing assistance during large-scale incidents and resource shortages. No formal opposition, amendments, or recorded vote history is available in the provided materials.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the available record. Potential areas of discussion, if any arose, would likely concern the mandated annual appropriation, the minimum funding level, and how the money is allocated among regional and backup control centers. However, there is no transcript or vote data showing disagreement from legislators, RIEMA, municipalities, or emergency management stakeholders.