House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi will continue his efforts to address Rhode Island’s housing crisis with his fifth package of legislation pertaining to housing, which he will unveil during a news conference on Thursday.
 
The news conference will be held Thursday, February 27, at 3:15 p.m. in the House Lounge on the second floor of the State House.
 
Shekarchi has announced a comprehensive package of housing legislation each year since becoming Speaker in 2021. Since then, nearly 50 new housing laws have been enacted in Rhode Island.
 
Speaker Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) will be joined by Rhode Island Secretary of Housing Deborah J. Goddard; Rep. June S. Speakman, chair of the Special Legislative Commission to Study Housing Affordability; Thomas E. Deller, chair of the Special Legislative Commission to Study the Entire Area of Land Use, Preservation, Development, Housing, Environment, and Regulation; Randy Rossi, Executive Director, Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns; David Caldwell, Vice President, Rhode Island Builders Association; members of both commissions; legislators; housing and homelessness advocates; builders; and developers.
 
The news conference will be televised live on Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. It will also be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv, where it will be available to view on demand after the event. Media members wishing to arrange for in-person coverage are asked to contact Emily Martineau at emartineau@rilegislature.gov.