RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- OFFICE OF STATE FIRE MARSHAL
Summary
H7135 creates a statewide vehicle identification database for electric and hybrid motor vehicles powered in whole or in part by high-voltage lithium-ion batteries. The Office of the State Fire Marshal, working with the Division of Motor Vehicles, must maintain the database and compile a contact list of municipal and volunteer fire departments and fire districts so that relevant information can be routed to the local fire protection agency serving the vehicle owner’s address.
Under the bill, the DMV would transmit only limited information: the vehicle’s make, model, and year, plus the address of the structure where the vehicle is located. That information would be forwarded to the fire department or fire district serving that location twice each year, by January 1 and July 1. The act takes effect six months after passage.
Impact
The bill amends Chapter 23-28.2 of the Rhode Island General Laws, adding a new section to the Office of State Fire Marshal statutes. It creates a new administrative information-sharing program between the State Fire Marshal’s office and the Division of Motor Vehicles, and it requires local fire departments and fire districts to receive periodic notices about electric and hybrid vehicles in their service areas. The practical effect is to give first responders advance awareness of locations where lithium-ion battery vehicles may be present, which may assist in emergency planning and firefighting response.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong support for the bill, with House passage by a 69-0 vote. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous floor vote suggests broad agreement that the measure serves a public safety purpose. The bill’s caption also frames it as a local notification program for fire departments and fire districts, reinforcing a generally favorable reception.
Contention
No explicit opposition or controversy appears in the provided materials. The main policy issue implicit in the bill is the balance between public safety and the handling of vehicle-location information, since the program requires the DMV to share owner-related location data with local fire agencies. Any concern would likely center on privacy, data handling, or administrative burden, but none of those objections are documented in the available record.
Creates a voluntary program through which registrants of electric and hybrid motor vehicles can request stickers to affix to enclosures housing such vehicles to promote first responders' safety in responding to electrical fires.
Creates a voluntary program through which registrants of electric and hybrid motor vehicles can request stickers to affix to enclosures housing such vehicles to promote first responders' safety in responding to electrical fires.
Amends the composition of the building code standards committee and would make several technical amendments relative to the building code office and would establish a state building code office within the office of state fire marshal.
Amends the composition of the building code standards committee and would make several technical amendments relative to the building code office and would establish a state building code office within the office of state fire marshal.
Adds probation officers and parole officers to the definition of "police officer" for purposes of salary payments during line of duty illness or injury.
Adds department of corrections' correctional officers to the list of public safety employees that are entitled to their full salary if they are injured and become disabled as a result of performance of their job duties.
Takes several measures to lead by example by banning state purchases of plastic bottles, and requires state funds to be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and renewable energy efficient technologies for use on state property.