Rhode Island senators pass bill requiring shrub maintenance
By News Staff
news@abc6.com
The Associated Press
The Senate has passed a bill that would require Rhode Islanders to prune their shrubbery and trees or face a $500 fine if plant litter lands on someone else’s property.
Senators voted 26-6 on Tuesday to pass the bill.
Democratic Sen. Frank Ciccone says pine trees are nice in the forest but their needles and sap don’t belong on a neighbor’s lawn, driveway or car. Ciccone says he introduced the legislation after neighbors in his Silver Lake district of Providence expressed concerns.
The bill would require homeowners to control any debris created by trees or shrubs if it’s a nuisance to an abutting property owner.
Republican Sen. Elaine Morgan, of Hopkinton, voted against it.
Morgan says homeowners shouldn’t be responsible for leaves that land on someone else’s lawn.
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