When the Rhode Island State Legislature convenes on Jan. 4, it’s certain that shoreline access will be among its top priorities. In the 2022 session, the House of Representatives unanimously approved a shoreline access bill, only to see the Senate fail to consider the legislation.
The shoreline access bill did not pass the House until late in the 2022 session, early June, and was without a Senate sponsor. According to some Senators, the late House passage did not give the Senate ample time to research, debate and vote on the legislation
It will be different this year, according to state Rep. Terri-Denise Cortvriend, D-District 72, representing Middletown and Portsmouth.
“I look forward to helping to shepherd the shoreline access bill to passage this year,” Cortvriend said. “As you may recall the House unanimously passed the bill last year, but we lacked a Senate sponsor.
“The bill will definitely be introduced and get a hearing in the Senate this year,” she said. “The House will have to hear the bill again and bring it to the floor for passage. I am hoping that the House can do this early in the session and I believe that support remains strong.”
Cortvriend was among a handful of legislators who initially responded to a WhatsUpNewp request to share their top priorities as they enter the 2023 legislative session. We’ll focus on specific issues, along with publishing the full responses over the next several days. We asked our question of several legislators representing shoreline communities that often share similar concerns.
If Cortvriend is looking for a Senate sponsor, she’ll likely find it in the newly elected Victoria Gu, a Democrat who will represent the 38th district, a seat that had previously been occupied by Republican Dennis Algiere, who is retiring after serving some 30 years in the Senate.
Gu listed among her top priorities “passing the shoreline access bill that passed the House unanimously last year.” Throughout her campaign she consistently listed shoreline access as perhaps her top priority. Gu’s district represents the shoreline communities of Westerly, Charlestown and South Kingstown.
The bill that was passed by the House in June would establish the public’s right to access the shoreline at six feet above the recognizable high tide line, a marker that is established by calculating the average high tide over a nearly 19-year period but is often found to be in the water.
The state constitution said the public has “the privileges of the shore,” including “the gathering of seaweed, leaving the shore to swim in the sea and passage along the shore.”
The bill was developed in the House by state Rep. Blake Filippi, a Republican representing District 36 (Charlestown, Block Island, South Kingstown, and Westerly). Filippi has retired from the House. Democrat Tina Spears was elected to the district 36 seat this past November.
The legislation is not without opposition. Opponents fear that if approved the legislation will essentially be taking property away from private owners.
