Rhode Island legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Rhode Island H7870: AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL CODE PROVISIONS (Clarifies when mobile equipment can travel on a public highway as an incidentally permitted practice limited to the active participation in an active work zone.)
Status: Signed into law, June 23, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, February 27, 2026:
2026 -- H 7870 ======== LC005111 ======== STATEOFRHODEISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ ANACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL CODE PROVISIONS Introduced By: Representatives Hull, Bennett, Biah, Shallcross Smith, and Azzinaro Date Introduced: February 27, 2026 Referred To: House State Government & Elections (Dept. of Transportation) It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Section 31-1-9 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-1 entitled "Definitions and General Code Provisions" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-1-9. Mobile equipment. "Mobile equipment" means every vehicle not designed or used primarily for the transportation of persons or property and only incidentally operated or moved over a highway, including but not limited to: ditch digging apparatus, well boring apparatus, and road construction or maintenance machinery such as asphalt spreaders, bituminous mixers, bucket loaders, tractors other than truck tractors, ditchers, leveling graders, finishing machines, motor graders, road rollers, scarifiers, earth moving carry-alls and scrapers, power shovels and drag lines, and self-propelled cranes and earth moving equipment. The term does not include house trailers, dump trucks, truck mounted transit mixers, cranes, or shovels, or other vehicles designed for the transportation of persons or property to which machinery has been attached. For the purposes of this section "incidentally" means actively participating in work in an …
Sponsors
- Raymond Hull (D, HD-006) · primary sponsor
- David Bennett (D, HD-020)
- Nathan Biah (D)
- Ann Shallcross Smith, Mary (D, HD-046)
- Samuel Azzinaro (D)
Latest actions
- : Signed by Governor
- : Transmitted to Governor
- : Senate passed in concurrence
- : Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar
- : House read and passed
- : Placed on House Calendar
- : Committee recommends passage
- : Scheduled for consideration
- : Committee recommended measure be held for further study
- : Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration
Votes
- House Seq #349: PASSAGE (June 8, 2026): 67 yea, 0 nay, passed
- House Committee on State Government & Elections: Passage (June 4, 2026): 10 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES
Common questions
- What is H7870?
- H7870 is a bill in the Rhode Island Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL CODE PROVISIONS (Clarifies when mobile equipment can travel on a public highway as an incidentally permitted practice limited to the active participation in an active work zone.).
- What is the status of H7870?
- Signed into law as of June 23, 2026. Latest action: Signed by Governor (June 23, 2026).
- Who sponsored H7870?
- Raymond Hull (D, HD-006), with 4 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for H7870?
- On the Rhode Island Legislature website: http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7870.pdf
Source: official Rhode Island record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.