House Bill No. 5229 SUB A as amended BY Speakman, Boylan, Giraldo, Tanzi, Cortvriend, Ajello, Potter, McGaw ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING (Authorizes the establishment of a Rhode Island housing champion designation program and makes qualified municipalities eligible to receive preferential access to state resources, including discretionary state infrastructure funds, as available.) {LC300/A/1} » http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5229Aaa.pdf
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As I reviewed this bill, I went through, and a good bill from Representative Speakman on
this, but there's one thing that I noticed that was missing.
Pasco and Block Island are unique in the state in that we don't get our power from National
Grid or Rhode Island Energy.
Well, we get it, but they're not our primary providers.
So we have a very finite pipeline for our electricity to get in.
In conversation with Representative Speakman, Chairwoman Speakman, and with the Speaker's
Office, I asked for an amendment.
With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to introduce the amendment at this time.
Please, I assume you're moving an amendment.
You want to read the LC number, please?
LC 000300-3.
Whip place moves LC 00300-3.
Lita Blazejewski, please.
Are you seconding?
Seconding.
Chairwoman's seconding.
Representative Newberry seconding.
Thank you.
Chairman, you're seconding as well.
Okay.
Let's just continue with the debate.
There is another light on the bill.
Can I continue with the introduction, Mr. Speaker?
Sure.
I was going to defer to Lita Chippendale, but I'll let you finish.
I haven't introduced the amendment, so I just wanted to clarify what the amendment is.
All the amendment does is for municipalities, when they're requesting the assistance or
requesting to compete for the assistance, in addition to water and sewer, it just adds
and or electrical infrastructure improvements.
This isn't something to help National Grid or Rhode Island Energy.
This is something to help what we know are taxpayer or ratepayer-owned utilities.
Again, our water, our sewer.
In the case of Pasco or Clear River and Block Island, it's our electric.
And at some point, again, we have a finite pipe that we can pump our electricity through.
And at some point in the future, this will be a barrier to building new housing within
the areas because the overlap between water and sewer, we are civilized, we have municipal
water and sewer in Burrville, is expensive.
Almost 90% of our water and sewer overlap are with our electrical.
So the majority of our building and development will be overlapping.
And at some point, we are going to reach a maximum in the near future on what we can provide.
So I'm just asking that we allow for the competition to include upgrades to electrical infrastructure.
Again, from the municipality side.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
