Temporary emergency housing bill to be discussed at State House

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — House speaker Joseph Shekarchi is proposing a new bill that would allow cities to open temporary homeless shelters.

The bill would allow towns and cities to make limited “emergency declarations” during severe weather or disasters.

Under the emergency declaration, local governments could build temporary shelters that don’t have to meet the same standards as permanent ones.

That includes exemptions from state fire and building codes.

The zoning issues will be addressed in the meeting ahead of the committee’s vote.

The committee will only vote on that specific bill, but they’ll also discuss several other housing bills, including local homestead tax exemptions, lead service line replacement and transparency of towns and cities named in legal actions.

The committee meeting is at 4:30 Thursday afternoon.

Before the committee vote, Shekarchi will unveil a fifth package of housing legislation during a news conference at 3:15 p.m.