UPDATE: On Thursday night, the House Municipal Government and Housing Committee heard testimony on HB 7063. This bill would make housing more accessible to thousands of Rhode Islanders. (See more information below)
Advocate after advocate told the committee about the importance of accessible housing for everyone in our state.
Grace Duffy, CPNRI Advocacy Intern shared her personal experience about why universal design matters.
"Without your home being designed with accessibility in mind, it can feel more like the World's biggest obstacle course."
Rep. David Morales noted the bill received over a dozen letters in support of the bill with zero in opposition. The bill was held for further study by the committee.
You can rewatch the entire committee hearing here. Thank you to all the advocates who came out to support HB 7063. Let's work together to get this done.
ABOUT THE BILL
Everyone should live in an accessible home. That is why CPNRI is leading the effort to pass House Bill 7063 & Senate Bill 2186.
WHAT: HB 7063 & SB 2186 implement subtle and important design changes to affordable housing developments.
WHY: These changes would make housing more accessible to thousands of Rhode Islanders. It ensures housing goes beyond minimum accessibility requirements so everyone who wants to live in our State can.
WHO: This bill would impact Rhode Islanders with disabilities, seniors and more.
Download the PDF below to learn more about the bill.
WANT TO HELP? Email your lawmakers and
tell them you want HB 7063 & SB 2186 passed.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to email your lawmakers. Questions? Contact us.
#1 - 📧 Find your lawmaker
Not sure who they are? Don't have their email? Watch this quick 60 second video. Send two separate emails, one to your Representative and one to your Senator.
#2 - 👋 Introduction
Tell them your name and that you live in their district. Don’t make this longer than a sentence.
Example: "Hello Representative (last name), my name is (your name) and I live in your district."
#3 - ❓ Ask
Tell them what you want them to do in the second sentence. This way, if they only read the first part of your email they know what you want.
Example: "I would like you to pass HB 7063 so housing is accessible to more Rhode Islanders."
#4 - 🗣️ Why
This is your chance to get personal about why you want them to do something. Keep this two to three sentences.
Have a personal experience about why you support this? Share it in this part of the email. Support all legislation that improves the lives of people with disabilities? Share it in this part of the email. Give your why.
#5 - 📩 Close
Keep this brief. You can thank them for their time, offer to answer their questions or repeat what you want them to do. Keep this to one sentence.
🚨 PRO TIP 🚨
Lawmakers get a lot of emails every day. Keep the entire email between 5 to 8 sentences. Also, include the bill number and that you are a constituent (live in their district) in the subject line. It gets their attention! Questions? Contact us.
Together, we will pass HB 7063 & SB 2186.