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H 7987Emergency Management

Military Affairs and Defense - Emergency Management

Mandates that RI cities and towns create emergency action plans for operating warming and cooling centers during extreme weather.

Held for study
Population
Affected
75
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This bill requires every city and town in Rhode Island to create a specific emergency plan for operating warming and cooling centers during extreme weather conditions. By November 15, 2026, municipalities must draft these plans following guidelines created by the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency. The plans must detail how the town will communicate with the public about open centers and coordinate with organizations to provide basic supplies like blankets and food if a center remains open for 24 hours or more. Towns are encouraged to work together or with nonprofits to provide these services.

For younger readers

This new law helps keep people safe when the weather gets extremely hot or extremely cold. It tells every city and town that they need to make a plan for "warming and cooling centers." These are safe places where people can go to warm up or cool down if they don't have a safe home to stay in. The towns have to figure out how to tell people where these places are. They also have to make sure there are blankets and food if people need to sleep there during a big storm.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Municipal GovernmentsHomeless and Vulnerable PopulationsEmergency Management PersonnelNonprofit Service ProvidersElderly Residents
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects the most vulnerable populations, including the unhoused and elderly, from the life-threatening effects of extreme climate events by ensuring access to safe shelter.
  • Standardizes emergency response across the state, ensuring that residents in lower-income municipalities receive the same access to safety information and resources as those in wealthier towns.
  • Encourages community integration by formally including nonprofit partners and volunteer organizations in the state's emergency safety net infrastructure.
  • Relies partially on donations and volunteer coordination for essential supplies like food and blankets rather than mandating fully guaranteed state funding, which could lead to resource gaps.
  • The implementation deadline of November 2026 may be viewed as too distant given the immediate and increasing threat of climate change-related weather events.
  • Does not explicitly mandate that a center *must* be opened in every town, only that a plan for coordination and communication be created, potentially leaving coverage gaps in rural areas.
For Conservatives
  • Enhances public safety and order during emergencies, potentially reducing the strain on police and emergency medical services during extreme weather events.
  • Encourages the use of volunteer organizations, nonprofits, and donations to provide services, limiting the direct financial burden on the government.
  • Allows for regional collaboration between municipalities, promoting efficiency and preventing redundant government spending on facilities in every single town.
  • Imposes a state-level mandate on local municipalities, interfering with home rule and forcing towns to allocate resources to planning regardless of local desire.
  • Creates additional bureaucracy by requiring plans to be drafted, approved by state agencies, and updated every three years.
  • Empowers state unelected administrative agencies (RIEMA) to dictate operational guidelines to elected municipal officials.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 39 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 30-15 of the General Laws entitled "Emergency Management" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 30-15-48. Warming and cooling center emergency action plans.

(a) By November 15, 2026, each city and town shall prepare a local emergency action plan addressing coordination and communication procedures related to the operation of warming and cooling centers during periods of extreme weather. The Rhode Island emergency management agency (RIEMA), as established pursuant to the provisions of § 30-15-5, shall develop uniform guidelines for the preparation of municipal emergency action plans under this section. The Rhode Island executive office of housing established pursuant to the provisions of § 42-167-1 and the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns shall cooperate with RIEMA in developing the guidelines.

(b) All municipal emergency action plans prepared pursuant to this section shall not be considered final or complete until approved by RIEMA, with the cooperation of the executive office of housing. Upon approval, the municipality shall formally adopt the plan.

(c) Each local plan shall:

(1) Identify communication protocols for informing the public during a declared warming or cooling center alert including, but not limited to:

(i) Posting updates on the municipal website, social media channels, and United Way’s 211 system;

(ii) Sharing the availability of resources including shelters, warming or cooling centers, and community-based support locations.

(2) Outline coordination procedures with nonprofit partners, volunteer organizations, and state agencies for operational support, including:

(i) Provision of basic comfort items to include blankets, cots, mats, meals, and beverages when a shelter or center is open for twenty-four (24) hours or more, with the comfort items to be supplied through RIEMA coordination and/or donations.

(3) Include contact points for municipal departments and agencies, and identify potential locations for activation in extreme weather.

(d) Municipalities may collaborate with neighboring cities or towns, regional agencies, nonprofit service providers, or community volunteers to develop and implement emergency action plans under this section. Volunteer-led initiatives may be included in municipal plans, provided they coordinate with RIEMA and operate under the approved framework.

(e) Emergency action plans shall be updated every three (3) years, or more frequently if required by RIEMA, and filed with the following:

(1) The Rhode Island emergency management agency;

(2) The Rhode Island executive office of housing;

(3) The municipal emergency management director, or designee;

(4) The chief of the municipal police department.

(f) RIEMA shall establish a statewide notification system in coordination with the National Weather Service to initiate warming or cooling center alerts. The system shall be designed to trigger the communication and coordination protocols set forth in municipal emergency action plans.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.