The Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s progress in repairing the Washington Bridge will be the focus of legislation being voted on Tuesday by state lawmakers.
Under the measures, the DOR would be required to send monthly reports to the General Assembly and the governor’s office. The first report would be due within 30 days of the legislation being signed into law, and others would continue until the bridge is restored.
“The legislation would mandate that RIDOT provide monthly reports on developments related to the Washington Bridge to the General Assembly and the Governor’s Office,” the lawmakers’ office said in a statement.
The Senate Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, April 30, at 3:30 p.m. to vote on a bill sponsored by state Sen. Valarie Lawson, D-East Providence, while the House State Government and Elections Committee is scheduled to meet at the same time on Tuesday, April 30, to vote on a bill sponsored by state Rep. Katherine Kazarian, D-East Providence, Pawtucket.
The meetings will be televised by Capitol Television.
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Washington Bridge reporting bills to be voted on by Senate, House committees
STATE HOUSE – Legislation introduced by Senate Majority Whip Valarie J. Lawson and House Majority Whip Katherine S. Kazarian to require regular monthly updates from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation on the state of the Washington Bridge will be voted on in committee Tuesday.
This legislation (2024-S 2727, 2024-H 7559) would mandate that RIDOT provide monthly reports on developments related to the Washington Bridge to the General Assembly and the Governor’s Office. It would require the first report be submitted within 30 days of the legislation being signed into law and that reports continue until the restoration of the bridge. The committees will also consider an amendment to the proposed legislation (Senate Amendment, House Amendment).
The Senate Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, April 30, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 313 on the third floor of the State House to vote on Senator Lawson’s (D-Dist. 14, East Providence) bill and its amendment while the House State Government and Elections Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, April 30, at 3:45 p.m. in Room 135 on the first floor of the State House to vote on Representative Kazarian’s (D-Dist. 63, East Providence, Pawtucket) bill and its amendment.
Both meetings will be televised by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. They will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.