Rhode Island Senate Bill S0980

Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/16/25
• Refer: 4/16/25
• Report Pass: 6/2/25
• Engrossed: 6/10/25
• Engrossed: 6/17/25
• Passed: 6/25/25

Caption

Increases the landing fee for the town of New Shoreham from fifty cents ($.50) to one dollar ($1.00).

Summary

This bill amends Rhode Island law governing the Town of New Shoreham (Block Island) to increase the authorized landing fee on each passenger over age 12 arriving by public or private boat from $0.50 to $1.00. The fee remains a local charge collected by the town, though the town may arrange for common carriers or marina operators to collect it on its behalf, and carriers may include the fee in passenger rates without separate approval from the Public Utilities Commission or Division of Public Utilities and Carriers. The bill preserves the existing requirement that net fee revenues, after collection expenses, be used for public purposes tied to the island’s tourism and visitor impacts, including emergency medical services, tourism-related property acquisition, tourism support facilities, and a fund to address problems arising from tourism growth. It also keeps the exemption for persons receiving free transportation from a public utility and directs the town council to adopt rules and regulations to implement the fee. The bill’s practical impact is limited to New Shoreham and the statutes governing municipal powers for that town. It increases a locally authorized revenue source and may provide additional funding for infrastructure, emergency services, and tourism management on Block Island. Because the fee is tied to passenger arrivals by boat, the measure affects visitors, carriers serving the island, marina operators, and the town government responsible for administering the charge. The general sentiment appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and later passed the House in concurrence unanimously, indicating broad bipartisan support and little recorded opposition. No committee transcript was provided, and the voting history suggests the measure was viewed as a routine local revenue adjustment rather than a contested policy change. No notable points of contention are reflected in the available record. The only substantive policy choice in the bill is the increase in the landing fee amount, but the unanimous votes suggest that legislators did not view it as controversial. The bill appears to have been treated as a targeted municipal financing measure for a tourism-dependent island community.

Impact

This act amends § 45-2-35 of the Rhode Island General Laws to authorize the Town of New Shoreham to charge a $1.00 landing fee, rather than $0.50, on each passenger over age 12 arriving by public or private boat. It leaves intact the town’s authority to collect the fee directly or through agreements with carriers or marina operators, and it continues to exempt passengers receiving free transportation from a public utility. The bill affects only the town’s local revenue authority and related administrative arrangements, while preserving the statutory uses of the revenue for tourism-related public services and infrastructure.

Sentiment

The available voting record shows unanimous approval in both chambers, with 36 yeas and 0 nays in the Senate and 71 yeas and 0 nays in the House on concurrence. With no committee transcripts or recorded debate, the overall sentiment appears to have been broadly supportive and largely procedural, reflecting consensus around a modest local fee increase for Block Island rather than significant policy disagreement.

Contention

No specific contention is documented in the provided materials. The only potentially sensitive issue is the increase in a passenger landing fee, which could affect visitors and transportation providers, but the unanimous votes suggest that any concerns about cost, tourism impacts, or collection logistics were not enough to generate recorded opposition. The bill’s local focus and earmarked uses for health, safety, and tourism mitigation likely contributed to the lack of controversy.