Special Committee on Legislative Affairs | Regular Meeting | May 4th, 2026 | 5:00pm
Call to Order and Roll Call
The Special Committee on State Legislative Affairs was called to order, and a roll call was conducted to establish a quorum. Three committee members were present and two were absent, allowing the meeting to proceed.
Item 1: Safe RIPTA Legislative Action
The committee discussed a resolution supporting the Safe RIPTA legislative package to establish long-term financial stability for the transit authority. After a brief discussion, the committee voted unanimously to approve the resolution.
Item 9: AS220 Property Tax Exemption
Representatives from the arts organization AS220 presented a request for property tax relief due to financial strains from the pandemic and rising property valuations. The committee expressed strong support for the organization's community contributions and voted to approve the resolution urging passage of the tax exemption bill.
Item 5: Bilingual Education Support
Dr. Fusi presented a resolution supporting bilingual education and addressing the shortage of multilingual educators in public schools. The committee amended the resolution to include Senate Bill 2555 and subsequently voted to approve the amended measure.
Items 4, 5, and 6: Rental Subsidy, RIPTA, and Child Care
The committee considered resolutions regarding rental subsidies, RIPTA funding, and the Child Care Essential Act. Due to redundancy with a previously passed RIPTA measure, Item 5 was continued indefinitely, while Items 4 and 6 were approved.
Item 7: House Legislative Package
The committee debated amendments to a legislative package, including striking a clause and addressing a sponsor's withdrawal. Due to outstanding questions regarding specific bills within the package, the committee voted to continue the item to a future meeting.
Item 8: Student Housing Regulation
The committee discussed a resolution regarding the licensing, registration, and inspection of student housing to protect neighborhoods and ensure safe living conditions. A motion to approve the item was made and passed unanimously before the meeting concluded.
Speaker 0
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Thank you all for joining us. Today is Monday, May 2026. Monday, 04/2026.
Speaker 1
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That's 05:00. Special Committee on State Legislative Affairs. Thank you all for being here. Madam Chair, please hold the call.
Speaker 2
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Chairman Gosselos? Present. Vice chairman Morales is absent. Councilwoman Peterson? Present.
Speaker 2
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Councilwoman Vargas? Is absent. Councilwoman Graves? Present. We have three present, two absent.
Speaker 2
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We have a firm.
Speaker 1
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Thank you all for being here. College. First, thank you for all the education education that's here for being here. Our guests, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2
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Item number one, resolution encouraging the passage of the 2026 safe recto legislative action.
Speaker 1
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Okay. I know we have some some guests here. So, in fact, let's do go through this first item, and then we'll take some of the other items on a turn here. So we just wanna be mindful of everyone's time. See that a s two twenty is here.
Speaker 1
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The folks from a s two twenty are here. And, also, Erin, thank you for being here as well. So let's check about item number one and then take some of the other items on a chart. So this first item is of the legislative package introduced by the same RIPTA coalition, which would establish a long term stability for RIPTA after some of the devastating budget cuts that we have received I've seen this last fall. So I think many of us have read through this bill to appropriate $5,000,000 from unappropriated state general treasury funds to RIPTA as well as the part of bills that will increase funding to RIPTA.
Speaker 1
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So there's h seven three six three and then senate bill twenty three twenty three. You know, many of you have had an opportunity to review this package. So we can start off questions from committee members on these items. Let's get a chance to complete this. Seeing that there are no further questions, should we make a motion to approve this first item?
Speaker 1
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So moved. Second. Right. So moved by councilor Graves, seconded by councilor Peterson. All those in favor?
Speaker 1
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All those opposed? The ayes have it. So item number one is approved. So, big motion to take a couple items out of order. So the first, the leave it's
Speaker 2
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Item number nine, resolution endorsing an urging passage by the general assembly of senate bill of 2026 s dash two zero three nine, an act relating to taxation, property subject to taxation.
Speaker 1
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Okay. So, hi, councilor. Very nice to see you. I'd to acknowledge councilor Farques. Thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 1
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At this time, we'll ask folks from the nearest 20 to come up to the table. But if you wouldn't mind just briefly introducing yourself and why you're here today, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Speaker 0
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You. Yeah. So I'm Sean Duffy. I'm the co executive director of ASU ASU twenty. I also serve as councilman on the the the board.
Speaker 0
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And I've been the executive director of ASU for about eleven years on the board for about eight years before that. So I've been around ASU twenty about thirty years now.
Speaker 3
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My name is Josie Mann. I'm the finance manager at AS twenty. I've been through organization for seven years.
Speaker 0
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I'm able to see what I think most of you all know AS twenty, but just a real quick overview. So AS twenty, part of downtown core. We support about a 100 FTEs every year. It's 35 to 40 employees, about 50 contracted teaching artists, a number of other artists. Have three sixty nine, about 80 youth and emerging creative sector employees are employed by AS About 3,000 artists get paid every year.
Speaker 0
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We've over 500 a year, 800 class and workshops. About 30,000 people come through AS two twenty on an annual basis, including about 5,000 artists that some sort of experience in being part of ASU twenty. It's about a 100,000 square feet across all three buildings. There's about a $25,000,000 investment in the downtown starting in the early nineties
Speaker 1
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with our original building on Empire Street.
Speaker 0
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Creative education may not be what you think of with ASU twenty. A lot of people think of ASU twenty for the events and the galleries. Creative education work has become the real center piece of our work, especially for the last five to ten years. We've really started with the nineties. We used to work as well as training school for first grade Indians.
Speaker 0
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It is right now one of our core priorities for net own what we do on creative education across all of our programs. But at this point, our youth program is our largest program. We are incredibly interested seeing for its support for our summer jobs program, but we also receive support from the Department of Education, Department of Labor, and the Department of Children's and Families for our, work with youth all year as well as emerging creatives as we try to find pathways from young people into after school arts education into actual jobs in the creative sector. And to this point, that creative education is all ages, spans, you know, from young kids to their core work with 14, 24 year olds, all the way to a woman who told me she took her first dance class at 80 years old because she'd always wanted to be a dancer Mhmm. And thought I was too late and took her first ballet class for her eightieth birthday.
Speaker 0
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The reason we are coming forward with this now, we've asked for the support from the state house, is a number of different factors combined over the last several years to put us in a position where while we were very proud to be property taxpayers for a long time, it's become untenable. It's a combination of the pandemic. And as you probably know, the state, forgot about, the arts and culture sector as they were trying to figure out the pandemic recovery with the city was very supportive, but the state was not as supportive of the arts and culture sector. So we're still recovering from the pandemic and trying to build back as is everything downtown. The inflationary impacts that everybody is feeling that owning a lot of property, we are feeling very intensely right now, combined with some changes, evaluation of our buildings, various things that have caused our property tax bill to about double since before the pandemic.
Speaker 0
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So those things are combined to make this a much more urgent issue than it has been in the past. So that's just what I thought to share overall, but happy to take any questions, and just really appreciate, the speakers here. Great. Thank you for that.
Speaker 1
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Any questions from the meeting members? Councilor Grace? No questions, sis.
Speaker 4
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I remember when you guys were still pretty tired before all these things, and you have been around for a long time. You've done fantastic work. And not only have you put on a lot of different shows all ages, but you also help support a lot of things. I remember the library used to do their fundraisers and a lot of other places did fundraise raises there. So you help support the other people that have been struggling.
Speaker 4
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So I asked about 100% support this matter. I think it's a long time. Probably, they should not have forgotten you needed. Thank you.
Speaker 1
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Thank you, counselor Graves. Counselor Peterson.
Speaker 0
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Thank you very much for being here. I just wanna just ask a clarifying question. Are you requesting our burgeoning passages for all of your properties? Yes. Said there's 10.
Speaker 0
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Right? Three. Oh, sorry. The the three buildings when we get that. Those three buildings split into various lots, but, yes, the whole office.
Speaker 5
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So all of them. Yes. You.
Speaker 1
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Questions from the meeting members? Council members? Just follow-up on councilor. I didn't I didn't get that last part. So it's three buildings?
Speaker 0
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It's three buildings. They're split into several each building is split into several tax lots. It's kind of especially our original building, it was split into six lots going back to the nineties. Oh, I see. It's confusing.
Speaker 1
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No. It was I mean, they they build it building on different lots. You can take the time to actually make Yes. I merged that into one.
Speaker 0
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Yeah. The different floors are split separately from other floors. Thank you.
Speaker 1
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I just wanna chime in and say we're so grateful for the work that ASU twenty does to advance arts in the city and strengthen for all leadership and all that you do for our youth. I mean, I know decades ago too, I would pop in, and it's been an institution in Providence for a very, very long time. Mister Manji, do have anything you wanna add? Or
Speaker 3
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I don't wanna take up too much of any time, but just, you know, just wanna say I really appreciate you all being here to hear this issue. And, yes, I wanna emphasize how impactful it would be for the organization at this time. Great.
Speaker 1
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I guess I have one quick question. Do you know the timeline of the general assembly?
Speaker 0
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I think they're just waiting on this from the the city council, and then they'll be able to move forward. I think their goal is to try to get that in place before they get into the, you know, their end of season crazy time, as I'm sure you all want.
Speaker 1
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Yeah. I'm sure. So you've heard from my colleagues. We're very grateful and super supportive of a s two twenty. So if there's anything that we can do, please.
Speaker 1
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That's very good. Thank you. We appreciate it. So without further ado, there anyone who wants to make a motion to approve this item? Motion made by councilor Drapes.
Speaker 1
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Seconded. Seconded by councilor Fargas. All those are bigger. Aye. Aye.
Speaker 1
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All those opposed. You guys have it. Thank you very much. Nice to be here. Thank you.
Speaker 1
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We'll take you to the next slide. Rodney, you're gonna see several things. The hospital.
Speaker 2
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Three. Sorry about that. Number, item number five, resolution endorsing an urgent passage by the General Assembly of House Bill twenty twenty six h dash seven three eight nine, an act relating to education, the support and access to bilingual education.
Speaker 1
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So I think we have a guest running this today as well. So I don't know if you wouldn't mind joining us. Thank you for being here. We should check on doctor or doctor. Thank you.
Speaker 1
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You. So I really appreciate you taking the time. So I I guess we can share a little bit more about this, and I know you also have save it to enter
Speaker 6
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If I have you could also add the senate bill number to this. The resolution was introduced before the senate bill. Yes.
Speaker 1
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We can yeah. That's a good idea. We can do that now. So just so everyone's aware, we had a a house bill that was introduced before the senate bill, and so this includes the house bill. So this would be a very simple amendment.