2026 -- S 2550

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LC004478

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- MOTOR VEHICLES OWNED

BY A GOVERNMENTAL BODY

     Introduced By: Senators Vargas, Zurier, Urso, DiMario, Kallman, and Murray

     Date Introduced: February 13, 2026

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Sections 42-11.3-1 and 42-11.3-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-11.3

entitled "Motor Vehicles Owned by a Governmental Body" are hereby amended to read as follows:

     42-11.3-1. Definitions.

     As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings unless otherwise

specified:

     (1) “Commuting” means driving a motor vehicle owned by a governmental body to and

from the work place and the employee’s residence.

     (2) “Employee” means an individual who works for a governmental body not less than

thirty-five (35) hours a week.

     (3) “General officer” means the governor, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the

secretary of state, and the general treasurer.

     (4)(i) “Governmental body” means any department, commission, council, board, bureau,

committee, institution, legislative body, agency, government corporation, including, without

limitation, the council on postsecondary education and council on elementary and secondary

education or other establishment of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the state.

     (ii) “Governmental body” also means the Rhode Island industrial recreational building

authority, the Rhode Island commerce corporation, the Rhode Island industrial facilities

corporation, the Rhode Island refunding bond authority, the Rhode Island housing and mortgage

finance corporation, the Rhode Island solid waste management corporation, the Rhode Island

public transit authority, the Rhode Island student loan authority, the Howard development

corporation, the water resources board, the Rhode Island health and education building corporation,

the Rhode Island turnpike and bridge authority, the Blackstone Valley district commission, the

Narragansett Bay water quality management district commission, Rhode Island

telecommunications authority, the convention center authority, channel 36 foundation, their

successors and assigns, and any other body corporate and politic that has been here before or that

is hereinafter created or established within this state excepting cities and towns.

     (5) “Law enforcement officer” means an individual: (i) who is employed on a full-time

basis by a governmental body that is responsible for the prevention or investigation of crime

involving injury to persons or property (including the apprehension or detention of persons for such

crimes); (ii) who is authorized by law to carry firearms, execute search warrants, and to make arrests

(other than merely a citizen’s arrest); and (iii) who regularly carries firearms (except when it is not

possible to do so because of the requirements of undercover work). The term law enforcement

officer shall include an arson investigator if the investigator otherwise meets these requirements.

     (6) “Own” means control and the intent to control and includes any type of arrangement,

including by way of illustration, and not by limitation, a lease arrangement, whereby an employee

of a governmental body is supplied principal or exclusive use of a motor vehicle by the employee’s

employer.

     (7) "Zero-Emission vehicle" or "ZEV" means a vehicle that produces zero exhaust emission

of any criteria pollutant or precursor pollutant or greenhouse gas, excluding emissions from air

conditioning systems, under any possible operational modes or conditions.

     42-11.3-5. Annual report.

     (a) The director of administration shall annually in the month of January submit a report to

the house fiscal advisory staff and the senate fiscal advisory staff on motor vehicles owned by a

governmental body. The report shall identify the vehicle, and whether the vehicle is combustion

engine, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or ZEV, the principal driver of the vehicle, the mileage incurred by

the vehicle during the previous calendar year, the miles attributable to commuting in the previous

calendar year, the maintenance record and cost of maintenance of the vehicle during the previous

year, as well as the same information collected from each hybrid, combustion engine, plug-in

hybrid, and ZEV vehicle and such other information as the director of administration requires.

     (b) The report pursuant to subsection (a) shall also provide the total number of new vehicles

purchased in the light-duty fleet in the previous year, and specify the total number of newly

purchased combustion engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles and ZEV. The

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report shall also include the percentage of hybrid, combustion engine, plug-in hybrid, and ZEV

new vehicles purchased with regard to the total number of vehicles in the light-duty fleet existing

at year end, and the total per mile cost for each vehicle and the total average cost per vehicle mile

for all vehicles of similar drive mechanisms or category of combustion engine, hybrid, plug-in

hybrid and ZEV, including the percentage of hybrid, combustion engine, plug-in hybrid, and ZEV

vehicles in the total light-duty fleet. The report shall also include the number of hybrid, combustion

engine, plug-in hybrid, and ZEV vehicles in operation in each state agency shown as a percentage

of the whole light duty fleet.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- MOTOR VEHICLES OWNED

BY A GOVERNMENTAL BODY

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     This act would require as part of the director of administration’s report to the general

assembly to include information on the number of hybrid, combustion engine, plug-in hybrid, and

ZEV vehicles in the light duty fleet.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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