House Committee on Special Legislation hears testimony on veteran license plates, bridge renaming, Blackstone Valley plate and state music designation

The House Committee on Special Legislation met for a public hearing that included testimony on several proposed motor‑vehicle specialty plates, a proposal to rename the Sakonnet River Bridge for a fallen Marine and a bill to designate rhythm and blues as Rhode Island’s state music.

Committee members opened by advancing a procedural motion to hold a package of bills for further study; the motion carried after members responded in the affirmative during a roll call. The hearing then proceeded to public testimony and presentations on individual measures.

The most detailed testimony centered on House Bill 5048, which would create a special registration plate supporting the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub. George Farrell, retired fire chief of Providence and chairman of the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub, described the hub’s mission: “our mission is to take America's Veterans to Washington, DC to visit and reflect, at those memorials built to honor their service and sacrifice.” Farrell said the hub began…