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S 3149Government Assets

Public Property and Works - Management and Disposal of Property

This bill allows the state to lease its marine facilities for up to 40 years for commercial fishing.

Signed into law71 Yea0 Nay4 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 27, 2026Committee Senate Environment & Agriculture

Plain-English Summary

This bill changes state law regarding how long the state can lease its property. Specifically, it allows the state to lease Chase Marina in Tiverton and any other ports or marine facilities owned and operated by the Department of Environmental Management for up to 40 years, as long as the lease is for commercial fishing purposes. Normally, the state is limited to leasing property for a maximum of 20 years.

For younger readers

Sometimes the state government owns places where boats park, like docks and marinas. People and businesses can rent these places from the government. Usually, the longest they can rent them for is 20 years. This new rule says that if the business is about catching and selling fish, they can rent Chase Marina and other state-owned boat areas for up to 40 years instead of just 20 years.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Commercial fishing businessesMarina operatorsCommercial fishersDepartment of Environmental ManagementState Properties Committee
Impacted communities
Tiverton, Narragansett, Newport

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Provides long-term economic stability for working-class commercial fishers by allowing them to secure 40-year leases for their operations.
  • Maintains state ownership of coastal properties, ensuring that public assets are not permanently privatized and sold to corporate interests.
  • Supports the local food supply chain and community resilience by encouraging investment in the infrastructure needed for local commercial fishing.
  • Locks the state into 40-year agreements, potentially hindering future efforts to repurpose these coastal areas for environmental conservation or public recreation.
  • Long-term leases may disproportionately benefit large, well-funded corporate fishing operations that can afford long-term commitments, potentially boxing out marginalized or independent fishers.
  • Promotes long-term industrial use of marine environments, which could conflict with future climate change mitigation and coastal protection strategies.
For Conservatives
  • Encourages economic growth by giving commercial fishing businesses the long-term certainty needed to make substantial capital investments in their operations.
  • Supports a traditional, heritage-based industry that aligns with the historical economic values and culture of coastal communities.
  • Leverages private enterprise to utilize, develop, and maintain state-owned facilities, reducing the financial burden on the government to independently manage these properties.
  • Retains government ownership and regulatory control over the property rather than fully privatizing the land to maximize private property rights.
  • Restricts the extended lease terms exclusively to commercial fishing, preventing the free market from determining the most profitable or efficient use of the land.
  • Imposes an ongoing regulatory burden on private businesses by requiring lessees to submit semi-annual revenue reports to the state government.

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.