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H 7873RHODE ISLANDSession 2026State Billpassed both

Passed

Rhode Island General Assembly Adopts Updated NGS Coordinate System and International Foot Conversion for Property Mapping

Original title: AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RHODE ISLAND COORDINATE SYSTEM (Updates the RI coordinate system to adopt the most recent system of plane coordinates established by the NGS, a federal agency which is part of NOAA and the USDC. Modifies the meter to foot conversion to adopt the international foot to provide uniformity.)

Last action · June 2, 2026: Committee recommends passage in concurrenceSponsor: Arthur Handy

Companion · S 2798same policy, Senate version

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Would Do

Surveyors and mapping professionals must use the newly adopted National Geodetic Survey plane and conversion for property mapping across Rhode Island. This update aligns the state's official system with federal standards to provide uniformity in measurements.

Why it matters

Standard mathematical measurements used in property mapping and surveying statewide are modified by this act.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Surveyors and Mapping Professionals

Surveyors and mapping professionals must use the updated coordinate system and the international foot conversion standard for property measurements.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this bill change?

It updates Rhode Island's official to use the latest federal plane coordinate system and changes the meter-to-foot conversion standard to the .

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently passed both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.

Procedural history

10 actions

Jun 2, 2026Floor
Committee recommends passage in concurrence
May 29, 2026
Scheduled for consideration (06/02/2026)
May 1, 2026Committee
Referred to Senate Environment and Agriculture
Apr 14, 2026Floor
House read and passed
Apr 10, 2026
Placed on House Calendar (04/14/2026)
Apr 2, 2026Floor
Committee recommends passage

Show 4 earlier actions

Mar 27, 2026
Scheduled for consideration (04/02/2026)
Mar 12, 2026
Committee recommended measure be held for further study
Mar 6, 2026
Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/12/2026)
Feb 27, 2026Introduced
Introduced, referred to House Corporations

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Connected Entities

NOAA, NGS, USDC

OrganizationNOAA“parent agency of the NGS”Map →

OrganizationNGS“federal agency that established the system of plane coordinates”Map →

OrganizationUSDC“parent agency associated with the federal framework”Map →

Sources

Open source document

status.rilegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance35
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy5
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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