RI 2026 S2505: Motor and Other Vehicles - Parking Facilities and Privileges

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the existing laws regarding disability parking enforcement programs in Rhode Island. It formally adds the Governor's Commission on Disabilities to the list of entities involved in these programs. The bill mandates that starting July 1, 2026, the Commission must provide input on any changes to enforcement protocols. Additionally, beginning January 1, 2027, state agencies, colleges, and municipalities are required to submit annual progress reports to the Commission detailing fine collections, convictions, and procedural successes or issues. The Commission is then authorized to review these reports and suggest non-binding improvements.

For younger readers

This law is designed to make sure that parking spots saved for people with disabilities are used correctly. It gives a specific group, called the Governor's Commission on Disabilities, the job of checking on how police and towns are enforcing the parking rules. Starting in a few years, towns and police will have to send a "report card" to this Commission once a year to show how many tickets they gave out and if the rules are working. The Commission can then give advice on how to do a better job.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

People with disabilitiesMunicipal GovernmentsPolice DepartmentsState CollegesDrivers

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Enhances the protection of civil rights for people with disabilities by creating a centralized oversight mechanism to ensure accessible parking laws are actually enforced.
Promotes government transparency and accountability by requiring police and municipalities to submit annual data reports on their enforcement activities and outcomes.
Empowers a dedicated advocacy commission to review data and suggest improvements, ensuring that policy decisions are informed by the specific needs of the disability community.
Relies on increased policing and punitive fines as the primary method of solving accessibility issues, rather than focusing on infrastructure improvements or education.
Creates additional bureaucratic reporting requirements without allocating specific funding to municipalities to handle the administrative workload.
Does not grant the oversight commission binding authority to force changes, limiting their power to "suggestions" that police departments can potentially ignore.

For Conservatives

Strengthens the rule of law by establishing a framework to ensure that existing parking regulations are strictly enforced and violators are held accountable.
Protects the rights of law-abiding citizens who legitimately need designated parking spaces by targeting those who fraudulently or illegally use them.
Implements a system of performance reporting, which allows for better evaluation of how government agencies are utilizing their resources to enforce the law.
Expands the size and scope of government bureaucracy by inserting an unelected state commission into the operations of local police departments and town governments.
Imposes an unfunded administrative mandate on cities and towns by requiring them to compile and submit annual reports to the state.
Centralizes power at the state level, eroding local control by subjecting municipal enforcement plans to review by a state-level commission.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

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 have input for 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.

(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.