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H7008ACivil Rights

Motor and Other Vehicles - Parking Facilities and Privileges

This bill requires state agencies and towns to report their disability parking enforcement plans and fines to the state.

Introduced64 Yea0 Nay11 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 7, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This bill updates the state's disability parking enforcement program. It requires state agencies, colleges, and cities or towns to submit their plans for enforcing disability parking rules to the Governor's Commission on Disabilities. The Commission will review these plans and can suggest improvements. Starting January 1, 2027, these agencies and towns must also submit an annual report detailing the fines collected, procedures used, and any problems or successes they experienced. The bill also ensures that fines collected from tickets go to the specific agency, college, or town that issued the citation.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules for how police and towns handle parking spaces meant for people with disabilities. It says that towns and state groups must share their plans for checking these parking spots with a special state group called the Governor's Commission on Disabilities. Starting in 2027, towns and police have to write a report every year to show how many parking tickets they gave to people parked in these spots illegally. The money from the tickets will go to the town or group that gave the ticket.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Individuals with disabilitiesLaw enforcement officersMunicipal governmentsState agencies and collegesMotorists
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. The bill dictates internal reporting procedures between state agencies and municipalities regarding disability parking enforcement and does not infringe upon free speech, due process, or protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Enhances protections and accessibility for individuals with disabilities by strengthening the oversight of disability parking enforcement across the state.
  • Creates better accountability and transparency by requiring annual progress reports on citations, fines, and enforcement procedures to be submitted to a centralized commission.
  • Allows municipalities and state agencies to keep the fines collected from citations, providing them with additional resources to fund local public services or further accessibility initiatives.
  • Relies heavily on punitive measures like fines and policing, which can disproportionately impact low-income individuals who may struggle to pay the penalties.
  • Limits the authority of the Governor's Commission on Disabilities by explicitly stating their suggested improvements to enforcement plans are not mandatory, weakening potential systemic reforms.
  • Expands the use of deputized individuals, off-duty police, and other personnel for enforcement, which could lead to over-policing and potential harassment in the community.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes the rule of law by strictly enforcing parking regulations and ensuring that those who illegally park in designated spaces are penalized.
  • Preserves local control and autonomy by explicitly stating that any improvements suggested by the state commission are not required amendments.
  • Ensures that the revenue generated from fines stays with the local municipality or agency that issued the citation, rather than being absorbed by a central state bureaucracy.
  • Imposes new bureaucratic red tape on cities, towns, and agencies by mandating annual progress reports and plan submissions to a state commission.
  • Expands the oversight role of a centralized state board (the Governor's Commission on Disabilities) into local municipal enforcement matters.
  • Encourages the expansion of government enforcement by allowing the use of specially deputized personnel and paid overtime officers to police parking lots.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 17 additions

SECTION 1. Section 31-28-7.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-28 entitled "Parking Facilities and Privileges" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-28-7.3. Disability parking enforcement program.

(a) The state police, department of environmental management, airport corporation, capitol police, department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, governor’s commission on disabilities, and the state operated colleges shall establish a disability parking enforcement enhancement programs no later than January 1, 2000. On or after July 1, 2026, the governor's commission on disabilities shall review and provide comment on any amendments, changes or updates to the disability parking enforcement program. The program will be designed to improve enforcement of disability parking laws on state-owned property and in parking facilities serving space leased or owned by the state, including state departments, agencies, boards, commissions, and quasi-governmental corporations. Citations issued in conjunction with this program shall be submitted to the traffic tribunal or its successor entity for collection pursuant to §§ 31-28-7 and 31-28-7.1 and the fines collected through shall be paid over to the state agency or college that issued the citation.

(b) The several cities and towns shall establish disability parking enforcement enhancement programs. Citations issued in conjunction with local enforcement programs shall be submitted to the municipal court, where established, or to the traffic tribunal or its successor entity. Fines collected through citations issued in accordance with local enforcement program specifications shall be paid over to the city or town or pursuant to §§ 31-28-7 and 31-28-7.1.

(c) Disability parking enforcement enhancement plans.

(1) The state police, department of environmental management, airport corporation, capitol police, department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, and the state operated colleges shall submit a disability parking enforcement enhancement plan to the governor’s commission on disabilities.

(2) Cities and towns shall submit a disability parking enforcement enhancement plan to the governor’s commission on the disability.

(3) The disability parking enforcement enhancement plans shall describe the enforcement program which the state police, department of environmental management, airport corporation, capitol police, department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, governor’s commission on disabilities, the state operated colleges or the municipality intends to establish.

(4) The disability parking enforcement enhancement plan shall be reviewed by governor’s commission on disabilities within sixty (60) days of receipt and suggest improvements to the disability parking enforcement enhancement plans, that shall not be construed as required amendments.

(d) The types of disability parking enforcement enhancement programs which may be put in place in each municipality, and by the state police, department of environmental management, airport corporation, capitol police, department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, governor’s commission on disabilities, and the state operated colleges, may include, but shall not be limited to:

(1) Enforcement programs which utilize persons deputized for the purpose of the disability parking enforcement enhancement program. The disability parking enforcement deputies shall be required to complete a minimum of four (4) hours training in parking enforcement before being assigned to the program. Each municipality and the state police, department of environmental management, airport corporation, capitol police, department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, governor’s commission on disabilities, and the state operated colleges shall provide adequate training and shall assume all liability associated with disability parking enforcement.

(2) Enforcement programs which specifically designate paid and trained personnel as staff for the disability parking enforcement enhancement program. These personnel are not limited to on-duty police officers, but may also include officers to be paid overtime, auxiliary personnel, special forces, retired personnel, and other paid employee deemed by the responsible authority to be competent and qualified.

(e) Beginning January 1, 2027 and on each January 1 thereafter, cities and towns and the state police, department of environmental management, airport corporation, capitol police, department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, and the state operated colleges shall be required to submit to the governor’s commission on disabilities an annual progress report chronicling the collections of fines, procedures used, convictions, and any problems or successes which result from the disability parking enforcement enhancement program. Following receipt of an annual program report, the governor’s commission on disabilities may suggest improvements to a disability parking enforcement enhancement program.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.