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H 8127Public Transit

Public Utilities and Carriers - Rhode Island Public Transit Authority

This bill adds a member to the RIPTA board and requires the board to elect its own chairperson.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Corporations

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the structure of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) board of directors. It increases the total number of board members from nine to ten, adding one more member appointed by the Governor. Crucially, the bill removes the requirement that the Director of the Department of Transportation automatically serves as the board's chairperson. Instead, the board must elect a chairperson from among its own members. Additionally, the bill adds the "Rhode Island Climate Community" to the list of organizations the Governor should consult for nominations and adjusts the quorum requirement to six members.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules for the group of people who run the buses in Rhode Island, called RIPTA. Right now, there are nine people in charge, but this bill adds one more person to make it ten. It also changes how the leader of the group is picked. Before, the boss of the state's roads was automatically the leader. Now, the group will vote to pick their own leader from the people in the group. This lets them choose who they think is best for the job.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
RIPTA Board MembersRIPTA RidersDepartment of Transportation DirectorThe Rhode Island Climate CommunityGovernor of Rhode Island
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Empowers the RIPTA board to elect its own chairperson, removing the automatic control of the Department of Transportation, which historically prioritizes highway expansion over public transit.
  • Explicitly adds the "Rhode Island Climate Community" to the list of stakeholders consulted for board nominations, ensuring environmental justice and climate goals are better represented in transit planning.
  • Increases the size of the board, potentially allowing for a broader diversity of voices and lived experiences to influence public transportation policy.
  • Continues to rely on Gubernatorial appointments for the vast majority of the board, rather than establishing a democratically elected board or mandating more seats for transit riders and workers.
  • The language regarding nominations from advocacy groups remains advisory ("give due consideration") rather than mandatory, allowing the Governor to potentially ignore progressive recommendations.
  • Does not mandate that the newly created board seat be filled by a regular transit user or a person with a disability, missing an opportunity to guarantee representation for those most impacted by the system.
For Conservatives
  • Decouples the Chairmanship from the Department of Transportation Director, potentially allowing for more independent governance and reducing the concentration of power within a single state agency.
  • Adopts a corporate governance model by requiring the board to elect its own leadership, which can encourage accountability and merit-based selection within the body.
  • Maintains the Governor's authority to appoint the new member, ensuring executive oversight rather than ceding control to elected boards or unions.
  • Expands the size of a government body (RIPTA board), which contradicts the general conservative principle of streamlining government and reducing bureaucracy.
  • Formalizes the influence of the "Rhode Island Climate Community" in the nomination process, potentially embedding environmental activist agendas into state transit policy.
  • Dilutes the direct control of the Department of Transportation over the transit authority, which could lead to a lack of coordination between road infrastructure and bus transit planning.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 10 additions · 6 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 39-18-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-18 entitled "Rhode Island Public Transit Authority" is hereby amended to read as follows: 39-18-2. Authority created — Composition — Terms — Oath — Officers — Quorum— Compensation — Conflicts of interest.

(a) There is hereby created a body corporate and politic to be known as the “Rhode Island public transit authority” (hereinafter “RIPTA”).

(b) The authority shall consist of nine (9) ten (10) members, one of whom shall be the director of the department of transportation, or the director’s designee, who shall serve as an ex officio member, and eight (8) nine (9) of whom shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate, with at least one of the eight (8) nine (9) being a regular user of fixed- route RIPTA transportation and at least one of the eight (8) nine (9) being a person with a disability. The governor shall achieve a diverse membership in the board and shall give due consideration to recommendations for nominations from the RIPTA Riders Alliance, the National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island, the Gray Panthers of Rhode Island, the Sierra Club of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, the RIPTA Transportation Advisory Committee, the Rhode Island business community, the Amalgamated Transit Union, The Rhode Island Climate Community, and the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns. No one shall be eligible for appointment unless he or she is a resident of this state.

(c) Those members of the authority as of the effective date of this act [June 16, 2006] who were appointed to the authority by members of the board of the general assembly shall cease to be members of the authority on the effective date of this act [June 16, 2006], and the governor shall thereupon nominate two (2) members, each of whom shall serve the balance of the unexpired term of their predecessor. Those members of the authority as of the effective date of this act [June 16, 2006] who were appointed to the authority by the governor shall continue to serve the balance of their current terms. Thereafter, during the month of January in each year, the governor shall appoint members to succeed the departing members. The newly appointed members shall serve for a term of three (3) years, commencing on the day they are qualified. In the event of a vacancy occurring in the membership, the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint a member for the unexpired term. Any member of the authority shall be eligible for reappointment.

(d) Each member of the authority, before entering upon the member’s duties, shall take an oath to administer the duties of the member’s office faithfully and impartially, and the oath shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state.

(e) The director of the department of transportation shall serve authority shall elect one of its members as chairperson. The authority shall elect a secretary and such other officers as it deems necessary.

(f) Five (5) Six (6) members of the authority shall constitute a quorum. The affirmative vote of a majority of the members present and voting shall be necessary for any action taken by the authority. No vacancy in the membership of the authority shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the rights and perform all the duties of the authority.

(g) The members of the authority shall receive no compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their actual expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties.

(h) No member of the authority shall be in the employ of, or own any stock in, or be in any way directly or indirectly pecuniarily interested in any railroad corporation, bus, or street railway company; nor shall any member of the authority personally, or through a partner or agent, render any professional service or make or perform any business contract with or for any company; nor shall any member of the authority, directly or indirectly, receive a commission, bonus, discount, present, or reward from any company.

(i) Members of the authority shall be removable by the governor pursuant to the provisions of § 36-1-7 and for cause only, and removal solely for partisan or personal reasons unrelated to capacity or fitness for the office shall be unlawful.

(j) The authority shall conduct a training course for newly appointed and qualified members within six (6) months of their qualification or designation. The course shall be developed by the general manager of the authority, be approved by the authority, and be conducted by the general manager of the authority. The authority may approve the use of any authority and/or staff members and/or individuals to assist with training. The training course shall include instruction in the following areas: the provisions of chapter 46 of title 42, chapter 14 of title 36, and chapter 2 of title 38; and the authority’s rules and regulations. The director of the department of administration shall be responsible for the enforcement of the provisions of this subsection.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.