2025 -- H 5343

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LC001134

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- STATE PURCHASES -- LEAD BY

EXAMPLE ACT

     Introduced By: Representatives Boylan, Cortvriend, McGaw, Tanzi, Carson, Donovan,
Handy, Fogarty, Speakman, and Ajello

     Date Introduced: February 07, 2025

     Referred To: House Environment and Natural Resources

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 37-2 of the General Laws entitled "State Purchases" is hereby

amended by adding thereto the following sections:

     37-2-83. State purchasing ban on plastic bottles.

     State funds shall not be used to purchase single-serving bottled water for use in facilities

that are served by public water supplies or potable well water, except when required for safety,

health or emergency situations.

     37-2-84. State purchasing -- Electric vehicles.

     (a) State funds shall be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and electric vehicle

infrastructure for use by state agencies.

     (b)(1) For purposes of this section, "electric vehicles" means a vehicle that uses one or

more electric motors for propulsion. Electric vehicles include light and medium duty passenger

vehicles, light and heavy-duty vehicles, buses, emergency vehicles, bicycles, and scooters. Electric

vehicles do not include hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs that require use of an internal combustion

engine and emit carbon emissions.

     (2) For the purposes of this section, "electric vehicle infrastructure" means structures,

machinery, and equipment necessary and integral to support an electric vehicle, including battery

charging stations, rapid charging stations, and battery exchange stations.

     (c) If a combustion engine vehicle cannot be replaced with an electric vehicle due to limited

supply or inadequate replacement, the state may lease or purchase a hybrid vehicle until a time

when a comparable vehicle is available. If a replacement hybrid vehicle is not available, the state

may lease or purchase a combustion engine vehicle until a time when a comparable electric vehicle

is available.

     (d) Consistent with chapter 6.2 of title 42 ("act on climate"), by 2030, forty-five percent

(45%) or more of the state's light-duty fleet shall consist of zero emissions vehicles.

     (e) By 2030, the number of electric vehicle charging stations at state-owned properties shall

be at least two hundred (200).

     (f) Reporting. The department of administration's capital asset management division shall

prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall

include, but is not limited to, the following:

     (1) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with same;

     (2) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with electric vehicles;

     (3) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with hybrid electric vehicles; and

     (4) Number of new electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and combustion engine

vehicles.

     (5) The report is due annually on or before January 31 for the previous year, and is to be

provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of the house

of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor.

     37-2-85. State purchasing -- Renewable energy and efficient technologies.

     (a) State funds shall be used to purchase renewable and energy efficient technologies for

use on state properties to improve existing infrastructure, reduce energy consumption and

greenhouse gas emissions.

     (b) For the purpose of this section, "renewable energy technologies" means any system that

collects energy from renewable resources such as sunlight, wind, waves, and geothermal heat.

"Energy efficient technologies" means technology certified as energy efficient, which uses less

energy and reduces pollution. Renewable energy systems and efficient technologies may be located

on or within the physical structure of a state owned building or located on state owned property.

     (c) The state shall install renewable energy and efficient technologies in new buildings or

during the renovation or repairing of an existing state property. For new and existing structures,

energy efficient systems may include air conditioning systems, ventilation systems, heating

systems, domestic hot water heating systems, compressed air systems, distribution systems,

lighting systems, power systems, and controls of the building.

     (d) The department of administration's capital asset management division shall reduce

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overall site energy use intensity (EUI), defined as weather-normalized BTU per square feet, from

a 2014 baseline at state-owned buildings by twenty percent (20%) or more by 2030; by thirty

percent (30%) by 2040; and by forty percent (40%) by 2050.

     (e) Reporting. The department of administration's capital asset management division shall

prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall

include, but is not limited to, EUI at state-owned buildings by property and by building. The report

is due annually on or before January 31 for the previous year, and is to be provided to the Executive

Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of the house of representatives, the

president of the senate, and the governor.

     37-2-86 State purchasing -- Recycling in state buildings.

     (a) State funds shall be used to purchase recycling bins for all state buildings to ensure

proper disposal of recyclable items. For any state facility with a cafeteria, state purchasing shall

require the use of biodegradable and compostable materials. Cafeterias shall provide biodegradable

or compostable utensils, straws, cups, plates, and napkins by January 1, 2026. No plastic plates,

cutlery, or drinkware shall be offered after January 1, 2026.

     (b) To reduce the amount of waste entering our state landfill, state funds shall be used to

lease or purchase compostable bins for state facilities, along with contracting with a compost

disposal service.

     (c) For the purposes of this section, "compostable materials" means an organic material

that has the potential to be composted and not co-mingled or contaminated by significant amounts

of toxic substances. Compostable material includes leaves, twigs, dead flowers, straw, corn stalks,

shredded cardboard and paper, paper towels and napkins, vacuum cleaner bag contents, dryer lint,

untreated wood chips and saw dust, vegetable and fruit scraps, spoiled vegetables and fruits,

eggshells, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, grass clippings, and fresh plant and yard trimmings.

     (d) The state shall require all agencies to implement a recycling and compost program no

later than January l, 2027.

     (e) Reporting. The department of administration's capital asset management division shall

prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall

include, but is not limited to, the status of composting and recycling programs by property to

include, where possible, quantitative reporting on volume or weight of material that is composted,

recycled, and landfilled. The report is due annually on or before January 31, for the previous year,

and is to be provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of

the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor.

     37-2-87. State Purchasing - Leaf blowers.

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     For the purpose of this section:

     (1) “Gasoline-powered leaf blower” means a combustion engine-powered handheld,

backpack, or walk-behind leaf or grass blower, vacuum, or leaf debris removal device; including

an electric leaf blower connected to a generator powered by gasoline or other fossil fuels;

     (b) The following gasoline-powered devices are exempted:

     (1) A stationary or tow-behind leaf vacuum, mulcher, debris loader device, or snow blower;

     (2) Wildland fire suppression equipment;

     (3) Equipment used in prescribed burn management activities; and

     (4) Firefighting activities carried out by authorized personnel.

     (c) Effective July 1, 2025, the state shall not purchase any gasoline-powered leaf blowers.

The department of administration shall adopt rules and regulations consistent with the purposes of

this section.

     (d) Effective January 1, 2028, the state or any contractor or subcontractor hired by the state

shall not use a gasoline-powered leaf blower.

     (e) The provisions of this chapter do not affect the authority of any municipality or any

local government to enact standards that are at least as stringent as the ones established in this

section or that commence on an earlier date than those dates established in this chapter.

     (f) The state or any contactor or subcontractor employed by the state shall comply with

local government standards that are at least as stringent as the standards established in this section

when managing state property.

     SECTION 2. Chapter 37-8 of the General Laws entitled "Public Buildings" is hereby

amended by adding thereto the following section:

     37-8-4.1. Certified environmental custodian required.

     The department of administration shall ensure that all public buildings pursuant to this

chapter be staffed with at least one custodian certified in the fundamentals of composting and

recycling. Certification pursuant to this section may be achieved through in-person or virtual

instruction with a program approved by the department of environmental management in

coordination with the Rhode Island resource recovery corporation.

     SECTION 3. Chapter 42-17.1 of the General Laws entitled "Department of Environmental

Management" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     42-17.1-46. Landscaping by the department -- gasoline powered leaf blowers

prohibited.

     Effective January 1, 2028, the department shall not use gasoline powered leaf blowers or

contract with any subcontractor or vendor that uses gasoline powered leaf blowers to maintain the

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grounds of any state property.

     SECTION 4. Chapter 24-8 of the General Laws entitled "Construction and Maintenance of

State Roads" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     24-8-11.1. Gasoline powered leaf blowers prohibited.

     Effective January 1, 2028, the department shall not use gasoline powered leaf blowers or

contract with any subcontractor or vendor that uses gasoline powered leaf blowers to maintain the

grounds of any state property.

     SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- STATE PURCHASES -- LEAD BY

EXAMPLE ACT

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     This act would take several measures to lead by example by banning state purchases of

plastic bottles, and would require state funds to be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and

renewable energy efficient technologies for use on state property. Annual reports would be required

to be filed by January 31, and provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council

(EC4), the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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