AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT AND DEBT REDUCTION ACT OF 2011 (Gives 20% of proceeds in RI Highway Maintenance Account to RIPTA.)

S2095

2026 -- S 2095
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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 PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- TRANSPORTATION
INVESTMENT AND DEBT REDUCTION ACT OF 2011

Introduced By:
Senators Zurier, McKenney, Gu, Acosta, Bissaillon, Lauria, DiMario,
Kallman, Vargas, and Quezada

Date Introduced:
January 16, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 39-18.1-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-18.1 entitled
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"Transportation Investment and Debt Reduction Act of 2011" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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39-18.1-5. Allocation of funds.
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(a) The monies in the highway maintenance fund to be directed to the department of
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transportation pursuant to § 39-18.1-4(b)(1) — (b)(3) shall be allocated through the transportation
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improvement program process to provide the state match for federal transportation funds, in place
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of borrowing, as approved by the state planning council. The expenditure of moneys in the highway
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maintenance fund shall only be authorized for projects that appear in the state’s transportation
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improvement program.
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(b) Provided, however, that beginning with fiscal year 2015 and annually thereafter, the
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department of transportation will allocate necessary funding to programs that are designed to
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eliminate structural deficiencies of the state’s bridge, road, and maintenance systems and
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infrastructure.
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(c) Provided, that beginning July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2025, five percent (5%) of
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available proceeds in the Rhode Island highway maintenance account shall be allocated annually
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to the Rhode Island public transit authority for operating expenditures.
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(d) Provided, that beginning July 1, 2025,
through June 30, 2026,
ten percent (10%) of
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available proceeds in the Rhode Island highway maintenance account shall be allocated annually

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to the Rhode Island public transit authority for operating expenditures.
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(e)
Provided, that beginning July 1, 2026, twenty percent (20%) of available proceeds in
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the Rhode Island highway maintenance account shall be allocated annually to the Rhode Island
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public transit authority for operating expenditures.
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(f)
Provided, further, that from July 1, 2017, and annually thereafter, in addition to the
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amount above, the Rhode Island public transit authority shall receive an amount of not less than
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five million dollars ($5,000,000) each fiscal year, except for the period July 1, 2019, through June
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30, 2022, during which such amount or a portion thereof may come from federal coronavirus relief
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funds.
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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 PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- TRANSPORTATION
INVESTMENT AND DEBT REDUCTION ACT OF 2011
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This act would provide beginning July 1, 2026, that twenty percent (20%) of available
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proceeds in the Rhode Island highway maintenance account would be allocated annually to RIPTA
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for operating expenditures.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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