PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- STATE PURCHASES -- LEAD BY EXAMPLE ACT, the official text

S2793 2026 -- S 2793 ======== LC005460 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- STATE PURCHASES -- LEAD BY EXAMPLE ACT Introduced By: Senators Valverde, Lauria, Ujifusa, Kallman, Britto, Murray, and Vargas Date Introduced: March 04, 2026 Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 37-2 of the General Laws entitled State Purchases is hereby 2 amended by adding thereto the following sections: 3 37-2-83. State purchasing ban on plastic bottles. 4 State funds shall not be used to purchase single-serving bottled water for use in facilities 5 that are served by public water supplies or potable well water, except when required for safety, 6 health or emergency situations. 7 37-2-84. State purchasing -- Electric vehicles. 8 (a) State funds shall be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and electric vehicle 9 infrastructure for use by state agencies. 10 (b)(1) For purposes of this section, electric vehicles means a vehicle that uses one or 11 more electric motors for propulsion. Electric vehicles include light and medium duty passenger 12 vehicles, light and heavy-duty vehicles, buses, emergency vehicles, bicycles, and scooters. Electric 13 vehicles do not include hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs that require use of an internal combustion 14 engine and emit carbon emissions. 15 (2) For the purposes of this section, electric vehicle infrastructure means structures, 16 machinery, and equipment necessary and integral to support an electric vehicle, including battery 17 charging stations, rapid charging stations, and battery exchange stations. 18 (c) If a combustion engine vehicle cannot be replaced with an electric vehicle due to limited 1 supply or inadequate replacement, the state may lease or purchase a hybrid vehicle until a time 2 when a comparable vehicle is available. If a replacement hybrid vehicle is not available, the state 3 may lease or purchase a combustion engine vehicle until a time when a comparable electric vehicle 4 is available. 5 (d) Consistent with chapter 6.2 of title 42 ( 2021 act on climate ), by 2030, forty-five 6 percent (45%) or more of the state s light-duty fleet shall consist of zero emissions vehicles. 7 (e) By 2030, the number of electric vehicle charging stations at state-owned properties shall 8 be at least two hundred (200). 9 (f) Reporting. The department of administration s capital asset management division shall 10 prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall 11 include, but is not limited to, the following: 12 (1) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with same; 13 (2) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with electric vehicles; 14 (3) Number of combustion engine vehicles replaced with hybrid electric vehicles; and 15 (4) Number of new electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and combustion engine 16 vehicles. 17 (5) The report is due annually on or before January 31 for the previous year, and is to be 18 provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of the house 19 of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor. 20 37-2-85. State purchasing -- Renewable energy and efficient technologies. 21 (a) State funds shall be used to purchase renewable and energy efficient technologies for 22 use on state properties to improve existing infrastructure, reduce energy consumption and 23 greenhouse gas emissions. 24 (b) For the purpose of this section, renewable energy technologies means any system that 25 collects energy from renewable resources such as sunlight, wind, waves, and geothermal heat. 26 Energy efficient technologies means technology certified as energy efficient, which uses less 27 energy and reduces pollution. Renewable energy systems and efficient technologies may be located 28 on or within the physical structure of a state owned building or located on state owned property. 29 (c) The state shall install renewable energy and efficient technologies in new buildings or 30 during the renovation or repairing of an existing state property. For new and existing structures, 31 energy efficient systems may include air conditioning systems, ventilation systems, heating 32 systems, domestic hot water heating systems, compressed air systems, distribution systems, 33 lighting systems, power systems, and controls of the building. 34 (d) The department of administration s capital asset management division shall reduce LC005460 - Page 2 of 6 1 overall site energy use intensity (EUI), defined as weather-normalized BTU per square feet, from 2 a 2014 baseline at state-owned buildings by twenty percent (20%) or more by 2030; by thirty 3 percent (30%) by 2040; and by forty percent (40%) by 2050. 4 (e) Reporting. The department of administration s capital asset management division shall 5 prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall 6 include, but is not limited to, EUI at state-owned buildings by property and by building. The report 7 is due annually on or before January 31 for the previous year, and is to be provided to the Executive 8 Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of the house of representatives, the 9 president of the senate, and the governor. 10 37-2-86 State purchasing -- Recycling in state buildings. 11 (a) State funds shall be used to purchase recycling bins for all state buildings to ensure 12 proper disposal of recyclable items. For any state facility with a cafeteria, state purchasing shall 13 require the use of biodegradable and compostable materials. Cafeterias shall provide biodegradable 14 or compostable utensils, straws, cups, plates, and napkins by January 1, 2027. No plastic plates, 15 cutlery, or drinkware shall be offered after January 1, 2027. 16 (b) To reduce the amount of waste entering our state landfill, state funds shall be used to 17 lease or purchase compostable bins for state facilities, along with contracting with a compost 18 disposal service. 19 (c) For the purposes of this section, compostable materials means an organic material 20 that has the potential to be composted and not co-mingled or contaminated by significant amounts 21 of toxic substances. Compostable material includes leaves, twigs, dead flowers, straw, corn stalks, 22 shredded cardboard and paper, paper towels and napkins, vacuum cleaner bag contents, dryer lint, 23 untreated wood chips and saw dust, vegetable and fruit scraps, spoiled vegetables and fruits, 24 eggshells, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, grass clippings, and fresh plant and yard trimmings. 25 (d) The state shall require all agencies to implement a recycling and compost program no 26 later than January l, 2028. 27 (e) Reporting. The department of administration s capital asset management division shall 28 prepare an annual report that summarizes the purchasing outlined in this section, which shall 29 include, but is not limited to, the status of composting and recycling programs by property to 30 include, where possible, quantitative reporting on volume or weight of material that is composted, 31 recycled, and landfilled. The report is due annually on or before January 31, for the previous year, 32 and is to be provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of 33 the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor. 34 37-2-87. State Purchasing - Leaf blowers. LC005460 - Page 3 of 6 1 For the purpose of this section: 2 (1) “Gasoline-powered leaf blower” means a combustion engine-powered handheld, 3 backpack, or walk-behind leaf or grass blower, vacuum, or leaf debris removal device; including 4 an electric leaf blower connected to a generator powered by gasoline or other fossil fuels; 5 (b) The following gasoline-powered devices are exempted: 6 (1) A stationary or tow-behind leaf vacuum, mulcher, debris loader device, or snow blower; 7 (2) Wildland fire suppression equipment; 8 (3) Equipment used in prescribed burn management activities; and 9 (4) Firefighting activities carried out by authorized personnel. 10 (c) Effective July 1, 2026, the state shall not purchase any gasoline-powered leaf blowers. 11 The department of administration shall adopt rules and regulations consistent with the purposes of 12 this section. 13 (d) Effective January 1, 2029, the state or any contractor or subcontractor hired by the state 14 shall not use a gasoline-powered leaf blower. 15 (e) The provisions of this chapter do not affect the authority of any municipality or any 16 local government to enact standards that are at least as stringent as the ones established in this 17 section or that commence on an earlier date than those dates established in this chapter. 18 (f) The state or any contactor or subcontractor employed by the state shall comply with 19 local government standards that are at least as stringent as the standards established in this section 20 when managing state property. 21 SECTION 2. Chapter 37-8 of the General Laws entitled Public Buildings is hereby 22 amended by adding thereto the following section: 23 37-8-4.1. Certified environmental custodian required. 24 The department of administration shall ensure that all public buildings pursuant to this 25 chapter be staffed with at least one custodian certified in the fundamentals of composting and 26 recycling. Certification pursuant to this section may be achieved through in-person or virtual 27 instruction with a program approved by the department of environmental management in 28 coordination with the Rhode Island resource recovery corporation. 29 SECTION 3. Chapter 42-17.1 of the General Laws entitled Department of Environmental 30 Management is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 31 42-17.1-47. Landscaping by the department -- gasoline powered leaf blowers 32 prohibited. 33 Effective January 1, 2029, the department shall not use gasoline powered leaf blowers or 34 contract with any subcontractor or vendor that uses gasoline powered leaf blowers to maintain the LC005460 - Page 4 of 6 1 grounds of any state property. 2 SECTION 4. Chapter 24-8 of the General Laws entitled Construction and Maintenance of 3 State Roads is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 4 24-8-11.1. Gasoline powered leaf blowers prohibited. 5 Effective January 1, 2029, the department shall not use gasoline powered leaf blowers or 6 contract with any subcontractor or vendor that uses gasoline powered leaf blowers to maintain the 7 grounds of any state property. 8 SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage. ======== LC005460 ======== LC005460 - Page 5 of 6 EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- STATE PURCHASES -- LEAD BY EXAMPLE ACT *** 1 This act would take several measures to lead by example by banning state purchases of 2 plastic bottles, and would require state funds to be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and 3 renewable energy efficient technologies for use on state property. Annual reports would be required 4 to be filed by January 31, and provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council 5 (EC4), the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor. 6 This act would take effect upon passage. ======== LC005460 ======== LC005460 - Page 6 of 6