Fighting for You

The Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns serves as the unified voice of Rhode Island’s 39 municipalities. We advocate for local control, represent municipal interests before the General Assembly and participate on state boards and commissions to ensure the needs of cities and towns are always at the table.

Each legislative session, League staff review nearly 3,000 bills to assess their potential impact on municipalities—from financial and personnel matters to regulatory authority and local administration. When a bill affects local government, we track it closely, provide testimony, suggest amendments and work directly with lawmakers to explain municipal implications. On average, the League testifies on more than 300 bills per session. If a proposal poses unacceptable burdens for cities and towns, we make clear our intention to oppose it.

To help shape our legislative priorities, we work directly with individual communities to best understand their unique challenges. Because we know that the needs of our urban core are different from the priorities of our small towns, we invite all municipalities to serve on our legislative committee, and we host quarterly roundtable discussions to ensure that all communities have opportunities to make their voices heard.

In addition to legislative advocacy, we analyze the state budget and its articles to evaluate effects on aid programs and identify new mandates that may impact municipalities. Throughout the session, we keep members informed through weekly legislative updates, reports, and research so they have timely insight into the decisions shaping local government.

Legislative Priorities