---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- FACILITATING BUSINESS RAPID RESPONSE TO STATE DECLARED DISASTER ACT OF 2024"
description: "Incorporates cable, broadband, Internet, and wireless means into the crime of injuring electric and communication lines and authorizes municipalities to grant zoning relief for the protection of critical infrastructure."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ri"
legislature: "Rhode Island General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 2601"
citation: "Rhode Island SB 2601 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Burke", "Felag", "LaMountain"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 13
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2026-02-13"
last_action: "2026-06-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a1d34c48-d5eb-4057-878f-f7c92ae62080"
source_url: "https://status.rilegislature.gov/"
source_hash: "315a455f731fdb522d4a37fecc1329f7658536aa3d0779d87a1d6448a60ba3ed"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ri"]
---

# Rhode Island SB 2601 (2026) — AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- FACILITATING BUSINESS RAPID RESPONSE TO STATE DECLARED DISASTER ACT OF 2024

Incorporates cable, broadband, Internet, and wireless means into the crime of injuring electric and communication lines and authorizes municipalities to grant zoning relief for the protection of critical infrastructure.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **2601 SUB A** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2601A.pdf)

## Votes

- Passage — **37–1** (pass) · upper
- IN CONCURRENCE — **69–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Burke — primary (person)
- Felag — primary (person)
- LaMountain — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-02-13** 02/13/2026 Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2026-03-27** 03/27/2026 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (04/02/2026)
- **2026-04-01** 04/01/2026 Proposed Substitute `substitution`
- **2026-04-02** 04/02/2026 Committee recommended indefinite postponement
- **2026-04-02** 04/02/2026 Committee recommended Substitute A be held for further study `substitution`
- **2026-05-22** 05/22/2026 Scheduled for consideration (05/26/2026)
- **2026-05-26** 05/26/2026 Committee recommends passage of Sub A `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-05-27** 05/27/2026 Placed on Senate Calendar (06/03/2026) `reading-3`
- **2026-06-03** 06/03/2026 Senate passed Sub A `passage`
- **2026-06-05** 06/05/2026 Placed on the House Consent Calendar (06/08/2026) `reading-3`
- **2026-06-08** 06/08/2026 House passed Sub A in concurrence `passage`
- **2026-06-16** 06/16/2026 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2026-06-18** 06/18/2026 Signed by Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/a1d34c48-d5eb-4057-878f-f7c92ae62080`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Rhode Island legislature records).