Rhode Island 2026 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 5 R · 3 D · 1 I cosponsors

HB 8149 — AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- SIZE, WEIGHT, AND LOAD LIMITS

Last action — 05/07/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 27, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    9 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 3 parties (5 R · 3 D · 1 I) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

The bill distributes payments from overweight vehicle fines to municipalities.

This bill amends penalties for overweight vehicle violations and specifies that certain fines go to the municipality where the violation occurred. It also states how much of each fine will be allocated to the general fund and traffic tribunal.

What this means for you
  • Small Business: This may affect small businesses that operate vehicles, as they could incur fines for overweight violations.

Summary

Provides for distribution of payment of certain civil penalties for violations of overweight vehicle laws.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

Compared against the R.I. General Laws as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds provisions about civil penalties for overweight vehicle violations, specifying a distribution of those penalties between municipalities, the general fund, and the traffic tribunal, which alters the existing law regarding penalty distribution.

  • 8-18-6

    Provided that cities, towns and state agencies shall also dedicate all revenues generated directly as a result of fee increases effective July 1, 2002, July 1, 2008, and July 1, 2025, to the general fund. → Notwithstanding the provisions of § 8-18-6, if the civil penalties are the result of enforcement action within the jurisdiction of or on any roadway within any municipality by an enforcement officer employed by the municipality, the civil penalty shall be paid to the municipality, except for one hundred twenty dollars ($120) per violation shall be paid to the general fund and a court administrative fee of five dollars ($5.00) per violation shall be paid to the traffic tribunal.

    This change reallocates the distribution of civil penalties related to overweight vehicle violations to municipalities and modifies the previous rules on how these penalties were collected.

Action History

  1. 05/07/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

  2. 05/01/2026 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/07/2026)

  3. 02/27/2026 Introduced, referred to House Finance

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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9 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 105 not signed on

Sponsors (9)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (105)

105 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

transportation
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 8149 do?
Provides for distribution of payment of certain civil penalties for violations of overweight vehicle laws.
Who sponsors HB 8149?
HB 8149 is sponsored by Jon D. Brien (Independent), David J. Place (Republican), Thomas E. Noret (Democratic), Earl A. Read, III (Democratic), Brian C. Newberry (Republican), George A Nardone (Republican), Gregory J. Costantino (Democratic), Michael W. Chippendale (Republican), and Paul M. Santucci (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 8149?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 27, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 8149?
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Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

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