| R 413 |
| 2023 -- H 6342 Enacted 06/12/2023 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CREATING A LEGISLATIVE STUDY COMMISSION TO EVALUATE AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS ON PROPER FOREST MANAGEMENT FOR FIRE PREVENTION |
Introduced By: Representatives Cotter, Chippendale, Casimiro, Spears, Kennedy, Speakman, and Carson |
| Date Introduced: April 28, 2023 |
| WHEREAS, Actively managing forests can actually help restore ecosystem health, |
| improve habitat quality and reduce severe fire risks; and |
| WHEREAS, Accurately diagnosing and managing these forest health threats is the first |
| step to protecting forests from harm ensuring they will grow into the future; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created |
| consisting of twelve (12) members: two (2) of whom shall be members of the House of |
| Representatives, not more than one from the same political party, to be appointed by the Speaker |
| of the House; one of whom shall be the Director of the RI Department of Environmental |
| Management, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island Emergency |
| Management Agency, or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island State |
| Association of Fire Fighters, or designee; one of whom shall be a member of the Forest |
| Conservation Commission, to be appointed by the Director of the RI Department of |
| Environmental Management; one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Rhode Island |
| Land Trust Council, or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island Forest |
| Conservators Organization, or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island |
| Association of Fire Chiefs, Inc., or designee; one of whom shall be the former Rhode Island Chief |
| of Forestry, or designee; one of whom shall be a member of the Rhode Island Association of |
| Conservation Districts, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and one of whom shall be |
| the State Director of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), or designee. |
| In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a legislative study |
| commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly resolution, the appointing |
| authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu of a legislator; provided |
| that, the majority leader or the minority leader of the political party which is entitled to the |
| appointment consents to the appointment of the member of the general public. |
| The purpose of said commission shall be to find solutions for proper forest management |
| for fire prevention in Rhode Island. |
| The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services. |
| All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, |
| documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or |
| desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. |
| The Speaker of the House is hereby authorized and directed to provide suitable quarters |
| for said commission; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the |
| House of Representatives no later than February 28, 2024, and said commission shall expire on |
| April 30, 2024. |
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| LC002879 |
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