2016 -- H 8009

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - BLACKSTONE VALLEY

ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION ACT OF 2016

     Introduced By: Representatives Tobon, Maldonado, Barros, Coughlin, and Johnston

     Date Introduced: March 25, 2016

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "State Affairs and Government" is

hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

CHAPTER 42.32

BLACKSTONE VALLEY ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION ACT OF 2016

     42-64.32-1. Short Title. -- This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the

"Blackstone Valley Economic Revitalization Act of 2016."

     42-64.32-2. Statement of Intent. --

     (a) It is the intention of the general assembly to grow the economy and create jobs in the

Blackstone Valley and throughout the state via the creation of the Pawtucket and Central Falls

commuter rail station, located near the intersection of Dexter Street and Barton Street.

     (b) The general assembly recognizes that, for the better part of a decade, a comprehensive

inter-governmental and public-private partnership, including the Rhode Island department of

transportation (RIDOT), the Federal Transit Authority (FTA), the cities of Pawtucket and Central

Falls and the firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., has worked tirelessly through preliminary

planning and engineering to create this commuter rail station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor

(NEC) and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) Providence commuter

rail line.

     (c) The general assembly recognizes that the new station is within one hour of Boston;

thereby alleviating congestion at the Providence and South Attleboro stations and creating fast,

convenient, and frequent service to employment centers, education opportunities, and leisure

activities, including the Blackstone National Park.

     (d) The general assembly recognizes that the local economic impact will be enormous in

that:

     (1) Hundreds of construction jobs and service jobs will be created in the construction of

the commuter rail station and thousands more once the station is complete;

     (2) The commuter rail station will connect residents to much-needed job and educational

opportunities in this state, as well as the nearby Boston and Providence job and education market.

     (3) The station will transform a deteriorated neighborhood into a beacon of

redevelopment. In addition to low-cost, multi-family homes, the area immediately surrounding

the site of the proposed station contains over two million square feet of vacant and underutilized

mill space.

     (e) The general assembly recognizes that the station will be an economic catalyst for the

city, the state and the region. The 2016 Brookings Institute Report "Rhode Island Innovates: A

Competitive Strategy for the Ocean State," identifies the commuter rail station in its

recommendations to boost Rhode Island's economy and states that, "Improving Rhode Island's

rail connectivity…would increase demand among and improve reliability and convenience for

occasional business travelers coming into the state. Over time, these investments could lead to

efficiency gains for daily commuters and their employers who benefit from-and increasingly

demand-close proximity to one another throughout the region. Likewise, longer-term service

upgrades and station improvements could attract greater numbers of riders and deliver higher

property values in transit-rich neighborhoods." "Since its creation in 2001, Maine's state-

supported [rail] service has leveraged approximately five million ($5,000,000) dollars in annual

state operating support to…bring nearly one-hundred thousand (100,000) visitors to Maine each

year who contribute twenty-nine million ($29,000,000) in economic impact, including direct

spending in local businesses and service and spur more than three-hundred fifty million

($350,000,000) in public-private development."

     (f) The general assembly recognizes that the station's strategic location between Boston

and Providence will allow easy access to both economic capitals, providing connectivity to

residents and opportunity to developers; the trifecta of inexpensive real estate, generous

regulations, and proximity to transit will create a surge in real estate investment, invigorating the

area with people and businesses.

     (g) The general assembly recognizes that the project is reaching the final stages of

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preliminary design, engineering, and environmental review and is in need of funding for final

design, construction and appropriate matching funds for applications submitted and to be

submitted to the federal government.

     42-64.32-3. Fund created. -- The general assembly hereby appropriates ten million

dollars ($10,000,000) into a restricted account at the department of transportation known as the

Pawtucket and Central Falls commuter rail station fund (the "fund"). The fund shall be used

expeditiously for site acquisition and furthering design of the station in cooperation with Amtrak,

MBTA and the relevant authorities and a minimum of five-hundred thousand dollars ($500,000)

shall be set aside for the creation of a master plan identifying and regulating private development

around the station.

     42-64.32-4. Equality of opportunity. -- No bid provided for as a result of the

appropriation in §42-64.32-3 shall be deemed complete nor awarded if the bid fails to include a

specific written plan for the bidder to be in conformity with §37-14.1-6: ensuring that minority

business enterprises reach a minimum of ten percent (10%) of the dollar value of the bid. The

aforementioned written plan should be submitted on forms created and distributed by the director

of administration.

     42-64.32-5. Rules and regulations. -- The department of transportation is hereby

authorized to promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to fulfill the purposes of this

chapter, including the procedures to ensure ongoing compliance with the terms and conditions of

the fund established herein, including procedures to safeguard the expenditure of public funds and

to ensure that the funds further the objectives of the fund.

     42-64.32-6. Reports. -- By December 31, 2016, and each year thereafter, the department

of transportation shall provide a detailed report of expenditures to the speaker of the house of

representatives and the president of the senate. Such report shall include any determination

regarding the commuter rail station's impact on stimulating business development; retaining and

attracting new business and industry to the state; creating good-paying jobs for Rhode Island

residents; assisting with business, commercial, and industrial real estate development; and

generating revenues for the state and local governments.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - BLACKSTONE VALLEY

ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION ACT OF 2016

***

     This act would appropriate ten million dollars ($10,000,000) into a restricted account at

the department of transportation known as the Pawtucket and Central Falls commuter rail station

fund. The fund would be used for site acquisition and furthering the design of the station.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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