A bill to allow the City of Newport to regulate the use and operation of e-bikes and e-scooters will be heard on Wednesday by the Rhode Island House Municipal Government and Housing Committee.
This bill, introduced by Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75 Newport), would allow the city of Newport to regulate the use and operation of e-bikes and e-scooters.
At their December 13, 2023, Regular Council Meeting, Newport City Council passed a resolution requesting the City of Newport’s Legislative Delegation to introduce enabling legislation allowing the City of Newport to enact ordinances permitting the city to regulate the uses of e-bikes and e-scooters within the City of Newport.
The resolution was sponsored by Councilor Carlin and Napolitano.
The committee, which meets at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, will also hear a bill to allow municipalities to waive the interest due on overdue property taxes for commercial properties, as they currently can for residential properties.
The committee also is scheduled to hear a bill to designate Sapowet Marsh Management Area as open space, where outdoor recreation will be permitted.
Written testimony must be submitted to HouseMunicipalGovernmentandHousing@rilegislature.gov. Testimony must include your name, the bill number, and your viewpoint, whether for, against, or neither. Sign-up sheets for in-person testimony will be available in the hearing room. The meeting will be televised live by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. It will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
