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H 7673Government Assets

Public Property and Works - Management and Disposal of Property

This bill allows the state to lease Chase Marina in Tiverton for up to 40 years for commercial fishing purposes.

Signed into law70 Yea1 Nay4 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Introduced Feb 11, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends existing Rhode Island laws regarding the management and disposal of state property to specifically include Chase Marina in Tiverton. Currently, the state limits most property leases to 20 years, with specific exceptions for certain ports. This bill adds Chase Marina to the list of exceptions, authorizing the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to lease this specific facility for up to 40 years, provided the lease is for commercial fishing industry-related purposes. This aligns the lease terms for Chase Marina with other state facilities like the Port of Galilee and State Pier #9.

For younger readers

The state of Rhode Island owns certain places by the water where fishing boats park and work, called marinas. Usually, the state is only allowed to rent these places out to businesses for 20 years at a time. This new rule says that for one specific place called Chase Marina in Tiverton, the state can rent it out for a longer time—up to 40 years. This helps the fishing businesses there plan for the future because they know they can stay and work there for a long time without worrying about their rental agreement ending soon.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Commercial fishermenMarina operatorsSeafood industry workersDepartment of Environmental ManagementTiverton residents
Impacted communities
Tiverton

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Supports the local working-class economy by providing long-term stability for the commercial fishing industry, helping to secure blue-collar jobs in Tiverton.
  • Encourages private investment in infrastructure repairs and improvements at the marina, which can lead to safer working conditions and better environmental protections without immediate public expense.
  • Strengthens local food systems by ensuring that essential waterfront infrastructure remains dedicated to food production and the seafood supply chain rather than luxury development.
  • Locks public land into private contracts for four decades, restricting the ability of future generations and administrations to repurpose the land for changing community needs or conservation efforts.
  • Reduces democratic oversight by binding the state to long-term agreements that may not reflect future public interests or evolving environmental standards.
  • Risks the potential for corporate capture of public assets, where private entities benefit from state-owned property for extended periods with limited opportunities for the public to reassess the arrangement.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes business certainty and economic growth by allowing longer lease terms, which encourages private sector investment and long-term business planning.
  • Reduces government red tape and administrative overhead by decreasing the frequency with which businesses must renegotiate leases with the state.
  • Supports traditional industry and utilizes state assets to foster economic activity rather than leaving facilities underutilized or solely dependent on taxpayer funding for maintenance.
  • Perpetuates government ownership of commercial real estate rather than selling the property to the private sector to return it to the tax rolls and reduce the size of government.
  • Grants significant long-term power to unelected bureaucrats in the Department of Environmental Management to manage and control valuable coastal property.
  • Creates a potential for cronyism where the state could award favorable, decades-long leases to preferred entities rather than allowing for more frequent market competition.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 10 additions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 37-7-9 of the General Laws in Chapter 37-7 entitled "Management and Disposal of Property" is hereby amended to read as follows: 37-7-9. Concessions, leases, and licenses — Reports.

(a) The acquiring authority, with the approval of the state properties committee, is authorized and empowered, when it shall serve the public purpose, to grant concessions in or to lease or license any land or building or structure, a part or portion of any governmental facility, public work, or public improvement for industrial or commercial purposes for a term or terms not exceeding in the aggregate in any one case twenty (20) years; provided, however, that real property, buildings, and facilities owned by the state at the Port of Galilee in Narragansett, State Pier #9 in Newport, Chase Marina in Tiverton, and all other ports and marine facilities owned and operated by the department of environmental management may be leased for a term of up to forty (40) years for commercial fishing industry-related purposes; and provided further, however, that certain real property, buildings, and facilities owned by the state located on Indian Point with a 2012 address of 25 India Street in the city of Providence may be leased for a term of up to forty (40) years for commercial, public recreation, marina, and redevelopment purposes; provided, however, that real property, buildings, and facilities owned by the department of environmental management may be leased for a term not to exceed forty (40) years for the purpose of facilitating private investment in buildings or infrastructure for public recreation, or to develop or sustain a natural resource-based industry and where the useful life of the investment exceeds twenty-five (25) years; and provided further, however, that certain real properties, buildings, and facilities owned by the state in the city of Providence known as the Union Station properties, which properties have been conveyed from time to time to the state by the consolidated rail corporation and others, may be leased for a term of up to forty (40) years for office, commercial, service, transportation, or other related purposes; and provided further, however, that real property, buildings, and facilities owned by the state may be leased for a term of up to forty (40) years for the development of cogeneration projects which involve the simultaneous generation of electricity and thermal energy (steam and hot water) and for eligible renewable energy resources as defined in § 39-26-5(a)(i) through (v); and further provided, however, that in the event of a mobile home lease agreement or site lease agreement, wherein such mobile home is contiguous to a resident-owned mobile home park, the state properties committee may enter into a lease or grant concessions to or license any land or building for a period not to exceed thirty (30) years; and provided further, however, that real property, buildings, and facilities owned by the state may be leased for a term of up to ninety-nine (99) years for the development of railroad layover facilities, contingent on the lease requiring the lessee to provide commuter rail service within the state of Rhode Island, as set forth by the state; and provided further, however, that real property, buildings, and facilities owned by the state at the Quonset state airport may be leased to the United States Air Force for a term not to exceed forty (40) years for the purpose of making improvements to infrastructure thereon. All agreements, contracts, and other instruments granting concessions or leasing or licensing facilities shall contain such conditions, rules, restrictions, and regulations as the state purchasing agent shall deem suitable or necessary and shall be approved, as to substance, by the director of administration, and, as to form, by the attorney general.

(b) Whenever property that is subject to the provisions of this chapter is leased by the state, the lessee shall report on a semi-annual basis the amount of income revenue generated by the leased property. The report shall be made to the state properties commission and copies shall be provided to both the house and senate fiscal staffs and the governor. These requirements shall be contained in the lease between the lessor and the lessee with approval of the state properties committee.

SECTION 2. Section 46-5-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 46-5 entitled "Construction of Port Facilities" is hereby amended to read as follows: 46-5-10. Lease of facilities. The director may from time to time, in the name of the state of Rhode Island, lease any property, whether improved or unimproved, acquired by purchase or by the process of law, and storage facilities, wharves, piers, bulkheads, docks, sheds, warehouses, and industrial locations within the director’s charge, for such term or terms not exceeding twenty (20) years, except for the port of Galilee in Narragansett, State Pier #9 in Newport, Chase Marina in Tiverton, and all other ports and marine facilities owned and operated by the department of environmental management in which property may be leased for a term of up to forty (40) years for commercial fishing industry- related purposes and for any rent and with such provisions and covenants as to the director shall seem to be advantageous to the state.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.