MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, the official text

S2264 2026 -- S 2264 ======== LC003430 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Introduced By: Senators Mack, Bissaillon, Kallman, Quezada, and Gu Date Introduced: January 23, 2026 Referred To: Senate Housing & Municipal Government It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 30-15 of the General Laws entitled Emergency Management is 2 hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections: 3 30-15-46. Warming center alert. 4 (a) As used in this section: 5 (1) At-risk individual means an individual living outdoors, on the streets, in the parks, or 6 in poorly insulated settings, and who is at risk for weather-related exposure and possible death. 7 (2) Director means the director of the emergency management agency ( agency ). 8 (3) Local governing body means the city or town councils of the state s cities and towns. 9 (b) Plan for issuance of warming center alert. Cities and towns through their office of 10 emergency management or other appropriate office, agency or department, shall establish a plan 11 for issuing a warming center alert to municipalities, social services agencies, and nonprofit 12 organizations that provide services to at-risk individuals and/or are located within the city or town s 13 borders. Upon the designation of a warming center alert, the director shall coordinate with the cities 14 and towns to provide information regarding available services. This coordination shall include, but 15 not be limited to, postings on the Rhode Island emergency management agency s webpage, postings 16 on local media, social media channels, and United Way s 211. The agency or appropriate office or 17 department, shall coordinate with municipal emergency management coordinators in municipalities 18 with a documented homeless population of at least ten (10), as noted in the most recent report on 19 sheltered and unsheltered people provided by the annual Point In Time Count, in developing 1 consistent warming center alert plans throughout the cities or towns that provide for emergency 2 warming centers during implementation of a warming center alert plan and be expected to 3 implement the plan during the period of November 1, through April 15. This plan may be carried 4 out by public safety, municipal employees, or designated volunteer organizations. Volunteer- 5 organized warming center efforts shall receive cooperation and logistical support from the director, 6 but shall operate autonomously; provided that, they operate in response to an alert and pursuant to 7 the warming center alert plan. 8 (c) The director shall declare a warming center alert after evaluating weather forecasts and 9 advisories produced by the National Weather Service that predict the following weather conditions 10 in the city or town within twenty-four (24) to forty-eight (48) hours: 11 (1) Temperatures will reach thirty-six degrees Fahrenheit (36o F) or lower; or 12 (2) The National Weather Service wind chill temperature will be thirty-six degrees 13 Fahrenheit (36o F) or less for a period of two (2) hours or more. 14 (d) The director, or designee, shall review weather forecasts from the National Weather 15 Service on a regular and consistent basis to determine when a warming center alert is warranted. 16 (e) Warming center requirements-warning centers. During any warming center alert, 17 municipalities, through their respective emergency management offices, shall: 18 (1) Arrange for shelters which shall be open seven (7) days a week and twenty-four (24) 19 hours each day. 20 (2) Provide for notice and updates on the city or town webpage and available social media 21 outlets, and United Way s 211, about the availability of resources including, but not limited to, 22 shelters, warming centers and/or community-based centers that are available to provide support or 23 shelter. 24 (3) When the shelter or warming center is open for twenty-four (24) hours or more, provide 25 provisions for individuals comfort including, but not limited to, blankets, cots, mats, meals and 26 beverages. 27 (f) Any municipality receiving state or federal funding to operate a shelter or warming 28 center shall be required to keep the shelter or warming center open and accessible every day for 29 twenty-four (24) hours each day during a declared alert period. 30 (g) Any municipality not identified as hot spot for people experiencing homelessness 31 according to the most recent report on sheltered and unsheltered people by the Point-In-Time 32 Count, the city or town may collaborate with neighboring municipalities to combine resources and 33 operate a regional warming center which would satisfy the requirements of this section. 34 30-15-47. Cooling center alert. LC003430 - Page 2 of 5 1 (a) As used in this section: 2 (1) At-risk individual means an individual living outdoors, on the streets, in the parks or 3 in poorly insulated settings, and who is at risk for weather-related exposure and possible death. 4 (2) Director means the director of the emergency management agency ( agency ). 5 (3) Local governing body means the city or town councils of the state s cities and towns. 6 (b) Plan for issuance of cooling center alert. The cities and towns through their office of 7 emergency management or other appropriate office, agency, or department, shall establish a plan 8 for issuing a cooling center alert to municipalities, social service agencies, and nonprofit 9 organizations that provide services to at-risk individuals and/or are located within the city or town 10 borders. Upon the designation of a cooling center alert the director shall coordinate with the cities 11 and towns to provide information regarding available services. This coordination shall include, but 12 not be limited to, postings on the Rhode Island emergency management agency s webpage, postings 13 on local media, social media channels, and United Way s 211. The agency or appropriate office, or 14 department, shall coordinate with municipal emergency management coordinators in municipalities 15 with a documented homeless population of at least ten (10), as noted in the most recent report on 16 sheltered and unsheltered people by the annual Point In Time Count, in developing consistent 17 cooling center alert plans throughout the city or town that provide for emergency cooling centers 18 during implementation of a cooling center alert plan. This plan may be carried out by designated 19 volunteer organizations. Volunteer-organized cooling center efforts shall receive cooperation and 20 logistical support from the director, but shall operate autonomously; provided that, they operate in 21 response to an alert and pursuant to the cooling center alert plan. 22 (c) The director shall declare a cooling center alert after evaluating weather forecasts and 23 advisories produced by the National Weather Service that predicts the following: 24 (1) The heat index is forecast to reach a daily high temperature of ninety-five degrees 25 Fahrenheit (95o F) to ninety-nine degrees Fahrenheit (99o F) for at least two (2) consecutive days; 26 or 27 (2) The daily high temperature is forecast to reach a high of at least one hundred degrees 28 Fahrenheit (100o F), or the heat index is forecast to reach a daily high temperature of at least one 29 hundred degrees Fahrenheit (100o F) for any length of time. 30 (d) Review of weather forecasts. The director, or designee, shall review weather forecasts 31 from the National Weather Service on a regular and consistent basis to determine when a cooling 32 center alert is warranted. 33 (e) Cooling center requirements-cooling centers. During any cooling center alert, 34 municipalities through their respective emergency management offices shall: LC003430 - Page 3 of 5 1 (1) Arrange for cooling centers which shall be open seven (7) days a week and twenty-four 2 (24) hours each day. 3 (2) Provide for updates on the city or town webpage and available social media outlets, and 4 United Way s 211, about the availability of resources including, but not limited to, shelters, cooling 5 centers and/or community-based centers that are available to provide support or shelter. 6 (3) When the shelter or cooling center is open for twenty-four (24) hours or more, provide 7 provisions for individuals comfort including, but not limited to, blankets, cots, mats, meals and 8 beverages. 9 (f) Any municipality receiving state or federal funding to operate a shelter or cooling 10 center, shall be required to keep the shelter or cooling center open and accessible seven (7) days a 11 week for twenty-four (24) hours each day during a declared alert period. 12 (g) Any municipality not identified as hot spot for people experiencing homelessness 13 according to the most recent report on sheltered and unsheltered people by the Point-In-Time 14 Count, may collaborate with neighboring municipalities to combine resources and operate a 15 regional cooling center which would satisfy the requirements of this section. 16 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. ======== LC003430 ======== LC003430 - Page 4 of 5 EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT *** 1 This act would provide for warming center and cooling center alerts to trigger certain 2 procedures municipalities shall follow during extreme heat or cold to help at-risk individuals with 3 resources including, but not limited to, warming and cooling centers. 4 This act would take effect upon passage. ======== LC003430 ======== LC003430 - Page 5 of 5