Lawmakers in the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to approve a bill that would clarify where beachgoers are allowed to be along the state’s shoreline.
The bill aims to end decades of disputes between members of the public and private property owners by more clearly stating the public trust boundaries where people can exercise rights guaranteed under the Rhode Island Constitution, like walking the shore, collecting seaweed, fishing, and leaving the beach to swim.
A similar proposal was introduced last year in the House but didn’t get full General Assembly approval. Lawmakers in the Rhode Island Senate already passed their version of the 2023 bill last week.
Speaking to her fellow lawmakers immediately following the vote, the bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Terri Cortvriend, of Portsmouth, thanked colleagues and advocates, and spoke to the significance of the vote aimed at settling a decades-long issue that’s pitted beachgoers against beachfront homeowners who say some members of the public don’t respect their property rights.
“I do think this is historic,” Cortvriend said.
At present, the state still uses a shoreline boundary set by a much-criticized 1980s Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling that says the public can access up to the 18.6-year mean high tide line.
The intent of the new bill is to make the line more readily recognizable to beachgoers and property owners. It says the limit for public use is 10 feet landward from the seaweed line, and people should use the line closest to the water when multiple lines exist. If a seaweed line is not present, the bill says the threshold is 10 feet landward of the point where dry and wet sand meet.
Governor Dan McKee indicated last year he supports the principle of a shoreline access bill but would need to review the legislation when it comes to his desk to make sure it doesn’t amount to an “overreach.”
In 2021, the House convened a special commission tasked with studying the issue of lateral shoreline access, which had gained considerable attention and momentum from increased activism around coastal access issues. That commission wrote its own draft legislation, which was similar to the bill that passed Thursday.
Following the vote, House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi gave credit to Cortvriend, who’s been pushing for a shoreline bill for several years.
“You have proven–I’ve said this publicly before–but you have proven that sending an issue to a study commission does not mean it’s over,” Shekarchi said. “It means it needs to be studied and come out better, and that’s exactly what you did.”
Only one House lawmaker voted against the bill: Rep. Sam Azzinaro, who represents Westerly, a town that’s home to some of the state’s most sought after beach areas and has become a flashpoint for public access fights in recent years.
Azzinaro did not respond to a request for comment emailed to him Friday morning.
Alex Nunes can be reached at anunes@thepublics radio.org
