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This location will be Centreville Bank’s second full-service branch in the East Bay.
Warren, R.I. (June 25, 2025) – Centreville Bank is pleased to announce the grand opening of its new, full-service branch in Warren, Rhode Island, located at 521 Main Street. The branch will officially open to the public on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, marking another step in the bank’s expansion and commitment to serving the East Bay community. This new location builds on Centreville Bank’s current presence in Warren through its Loan Production Office (LPO), which is located at 951 Main Street and continues to support the area's lending needs. The decision to open a full-service branch follows the closure of another financial institution at this location earlier this year. “When another bank closed its doors in mid-March, it left a real void in the Warren community’s options for financial service providers,” said Lee Merrill, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Centreville Bank. “We’re proud to step in with a strong team and a community-first approach to meet those needs and serve both residents and businesses.” Centreville’s new Warren team is comprised of seasoned professionals with deep roots in the East Bay banking community:
“Our Warren team is made up of banking professionals who understand this community and are passionate about delivering personal, knowledgeable service,” said Harold M. Horvat, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of Centreville Bank. “They reflect the values we stand for at Centreville Bank--local decision-making, best-in-class customer service, and a long-term commitment to helping people make progress toward achieving their financial goals.” The new branch at 521 Main Street will offer a full range of personal and business banking services, including checking and savings accounts, residential and commercial lending, online and mobile banking, an ITM/ATM and more. For more information, please visit www.centrevillebank.com. About Centreville Bank Founded in 1828 and headquartered in West Warwick, Rhode Island, Centreville Bank is a full-service mutual bank with over $2.8 billion in assets and 22 locations throughout Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut. Centreville understands the unique financial needs of individuals, families and businesses and offers a wide range of personal banking and commercial banking products and services including checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, money market accounts, mortgages, business loans and more. Centreville is committed to its employees and the communities it serves, always striving to help people make progress and achieve their financial goals. That is progress on purpose. Visit centrevillebank.com, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, or come into a branch or office to learn more.
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 Washington Trust has been recognized as Rhode Island’s Best-In-State Bank for 2025 by Forbes, marking the seventh consecutive year the bank has appeared on the list, and the third consecutive year they have been ranked #1. The annual Forbes Best-In-State Banks list, compiled in partnership with market research firm Statista, evaluates financial Institutions based on customer satisfaction, trust, fees, digital services, and financial advice. “We are deeply honored to be named Rhode Island’s Best-In-State Bank again this year,” said Edward O. “Ned” Handy III, Washington Trust Chairman and CEO. “This recognition reflects the Bank’s two and a quarter centuries of unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional banking experiences, fostering trust, and supporting the financial wellbeing of our customers and communities. By combining innovative technology for convenience and accessibility, with the personalized service of our dedicated team, we strive to meet the evolving needs of those we serve. We thank our employees for their hard work, and our customers for their continued loyalty that has endured for 225 years.” Forbes’ 2025 ranking methodology included surveys of more than 26,000 U.S. consumers, assessing banks on criteria such as customer service, trustworthiness, accessibility, and transparency. Washington Trust’s consistent dedication to personalized service, innovative digital solutions, and community engagement has solidified its position as a leader in Rhode Island’s banking sector. ABOUT WASHINGTON TRUST® Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is recognized as the oldest community bank in the nation, the largest state-chartered bank headquartered in Rhode Island and one of the Northeast's premier financial services companies. Washington Trust values its role as a community bank and is committed to helping the people, businesses, and organizations of New England improve their financial lives. The Bank offers a wide range of commercial banking, mortgage banking, personal banking and wealth management services through its offices in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts and a full suite of convenient digital tools. Washington Trust is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. Washington Trust is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a publicly-owned holding company which trades on NASDAQ: WASH. For more information, visit the Bank's website at www.washtrust.com or the Corporation's website at ir.washtrust.com. House Finance Committee Passes Budget
The House Finance Committee passed a budget at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The $14.334 billion budget includes $45 million for primary care doctors, $38 million in extra money for hospitals, $12 million for nursing homes, and more money for education than provided for in the Governor’s budget. During the media briefing, the Speaker said, “Do I want to come back in October? No.” but he acknowledged it might be necessary if the federal government makes certain cuts to state grants or to state programs where federal funding is significant. The full House will vote on the budget Tuesday, June 17th. How did the House Finance budget find revenues for these initiatives? Article 5 SubA contains many new tax proposals including the following: · Whole homes that are rented for less than thirty days would be subject to the hotel tax. Currently, those properties are exempt. · The hotel tax increased from 1% to 2% · Real estate conveyance tax – the budget includes a 63% increase in the real estate conveyance tax which is paid at the time of sale of a property. Prior to 2021, all properties were taxed at $2.30 per $500 of sale price. In 2021, the General Assembly increased the tax on residential properties selling at a price over $800,000 – adding another $2.30 per $500 for the portion of the selling price over the threshold (sometimes referred to as Tier 2 properties). This year, an additional increase of 63% is included on both Tier 1 and Tier 2 properties. As an example, the median price for a Rhode Island home is $512,750. Under current law a seller of that home would pay $2,358.65 in conveyance tax at the time of sale. Article 5 SubA raises that tax to $3,845.63; and increase of $1,486.98. A home sold for $900,000 today would cost the seller $4,600 in conveyance tax. Article 5 SubA raises it to $7,500. The tax increase is estimated to raise $13.5 million in this fiscal year and $18.7 million in FY27. · Sales tax is applied to short-term parking up to one month. Estimated to generate $1.6 million · Gas tax increases by 2 cents per gallon with a majority of the revenues going to RIPTA. The existing gas tax law has an automatic adjustment every two years. On July 1, 2025, the gas tax will rise to $.38 a gallon (plus the $.01 per gallon environmental fee). The proposed budget will raise the gas tax to $.40 a gallon (plus $.01 environmental fee) for a total state tax of $.41 a gallon. Massachusetts gas tax is currently $.24 per gallon. Connecticut has a $.25 per gallon gas tax, but also has an 8.1% tax on gross earnings at the wholesale level, making it more difficult to compare. · The Governor’s proposed tax on digital advertising was not included in the House budget. This tax was passed in one state and that state is in costly litigation while unable to collect the tax. The Speaker made it clear he was unwilling to rely on revenue from a tax structure that would be challenged in court leaving a hole in the budget. · A new state tax on non-owner-occupied homes is included in this budget. Some media outlets have dubbed this the “Taylor Swift” tax. The language defines “non-owner occupied as “the residential property does not serve as the owner’s primary residence and is not occupied by the owner of the property for a majority of days during a given taxable year.” If the property has an assessed at a value over $1 million, and the property is not rented for more than 183 days during the previous taxable year and was subject to the room reseller tax, or lodgings tax. The tax amounts to $2.50 for each $500 of assessed value in excess of $1 million. The tax is levied in addition to all other taxes assessed. The tax can be paid in four quarterly payments, with the first installment due September 15th of a given taxable year. To date, no estimate of revenue to be collected has been published. · There are a number of fee increases in the budget: a $1 increase in the technology surcharge fee for vehicle registrations, a new $200 fee each time a battery electric vehicle is registered, $100 for a plug-in hybrid registration, a $50 fee for a hybrid electric vehicle, increased penalties for various law infractions. One positive note in the budget – the Workers Compensation Administrative Fund was taken out of the Indirect Cost Recovery program. Currently the Department of Labor and Training (DLT) keeps 10% of the Workers’ Compensation Administrative Fund dollars paid by businesses. The Governor proposed to increase the percentage to 15%. The House budget eliminates the diversion of funds to DLT – keeping $3.6 million in the workers compensation administrative fund ultimately saving businesses money. TCI Bill Amended on the Senate Floor Last Week S.974aa, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Temporary Disability Insurance – Contributions, was amended on the Senate floor to remove the language increasing the maximum number of weeks an employee can take for Temporary Care Giver (TCI) reasons. The bill originally proposed to increase the weeks to ten weeks in 2027 and twelve weeks in 2028. Under current law, employees may take up to seven weeks off in 2025 and eight weeks off starting January 1, 2026 to care for various family members. The Senate noted business concerns surrounding the challenges finding replacement employees as the reason for the amendment. The senate did add “siblings” to the language meaning employee can use TCI to care for siblings. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Billtext25/SenateText25/S0974aa.pdf The House version – H.6066 is scheduled for a vote Monday in House Labor. The bill is posted in a SubA form to mirror the changes made on the Senate floor. This Week At the State House The General Assembly hopes to complete its work either Wednesday or Friday. The Juneteenth holiday prevents the legislature from coming into session Thursday. This edition of Advocacy in Action includes legislation scheduled for hearing or vote as of Sunday. The House and Senate may add bills throughout the week. If the legislative work is mpleted this week, bills will be transmitted to the Governor periodically over the following few weeks. The Chamber will send out a final legislative wrap-up once that process is concluded, providing a list of new laws business need to consider. Monday, June 16th Labor Relations Board S.124 SubB and H.5187 SubA, Acts Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Labor Relations Act changes the definition of “employee” under Rhode Island law. Members of the unions are pushing this bill as a means to head off any changes in the National Labor Relations Board. S.124 SubA was amended as the Chamber requested related to the definition of “employee.” The new definition reads “"Employee" specifically includes any teaching assistants, research assistants, fellows, residential assistants and proctors who perform services for an employer or are under an employer's control or right of control, in return for payment or other compensation, notwithstanding whether the employee is a student, or the supervised teaching, research, or other services are a component of their academic development.” These individuals are currently covered in Rhode Island. The S.124 SubB version and the new SubA version of 5187 proposes to eliminate language that defines the “right of control.” See https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/Proposed25/H5187A.pdf and https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/Proposed25/S0124B.pdf for the new language to be voted on Monday. Captive Audience Bill H.5506 SubA and S.126 SubA are scheduled for a vote Monday. These bills, Acts Related to Labor and Labor Relations – Employe Free Speech Rights, limit the First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendments rights of employers by barring them from holding mandatory meetings with employees to discuss any issue covered under the bill’s definition of “political matters.” The definition was tweaked only slightly. “Political matters” is defined as, “topics that are unrelated to the employer's business or business activities, such as subjects relating to elections for political office, political parties, proposals to change legislation or regulations which are not directly related to the employer's business, and a decision whether to join or support any political party or political, civic, community, fraternal or labor organization.” It is this very situation that was anticipated, and addressed by Congress under the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. That federal law specifically allows employers to hold such meetings provided they do not threaten employees in the meeting. Both H.5506 SubA and S.126 SubA undermine the employer employee relationship. The amended language can be found at: http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/Proposed25/H5506A.pdf and https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0126A.pdf Retail Sales to Seniors H.5831, An Act Relating to Commercial Law – Senior Savings Protection Act, requires any business engaged in the sale of goods or services who offers a discount to its customers for utilizing automatic payment systems, via ACH or EFT or similar payment systems, to provide the same discount to any person who is 65 years of age or older who makes a payment using paper checks. The bill is scheduled for a vote in the House Corporations Committee. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5831.pdf This Week At the State House
The House posted the Budget for consideration in the House Finance Committee on both Tuesday and Wednesday. This will allow the committee to use Wednesday as a backup in the event the budget documents are not ready Tuesday. Legislative bills continue to post as the House and Senate reach agreements on some bills while opposing versions of others linger leaving their resolution in question. The following bills are posted for consideration and/or hearing this week. Tuesday, June 10th FY2026 Budget House Finance has scheduled, H.5076, An Act Making Appropriations for the Support of the State for Fiscal year Ending June 30, 2026. The hearing will be live streamed, although the starting time is difficult to predict as it is dependent upon completion of documents. Livestreaming is available at https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv Noncompete Agreements S.302, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Rhode Island Noncompetition Agreement Act, is scheduled for a vote At the Rise in room 313. Current law bans businesses from entering into noncompete agreements with individuals that make 250% of the federal poverty level or less ($39,125 for a single person). S.302 would strike this language, making noncompete agreements illegal unless it is entered into as part of a sale of the business. The bill adds a provision allowing businesses to enter into agreements with employees not to share customer lists and future business plans. If an employee violates such an agreement, the employer can be awarded injunctive relief, compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys' fees and costs. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0302.pdf Minimum Wage Increase S.125, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Minimum Wages, will be voted on in the Senate Labor Committee. This bill calls for five years of consecutive $1 increases, reaching $20 an hour in 2030. Last week the House passed a two-year increase of $1 per year, reaching $17 in 2027. The Chamber has been actively working on this issue with members of the General Assembly and Labor. Last Friday night, the Senate posted a SubA for S.125 to mirror the House two-year proposal. Massachusetts currently has a minimum wage of $15. Connecticut’s minimum wage is $16.35 with an automatic annual increase tied to the Employment Cost Index that is re-calculated each October 15th. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/Proposed25/S0125A.pdf “Mini” Employee Handbook H.5679, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Payment of Wages, is scheduled for a vote in amended form. The bill changes an employer’s responsibilities as it relates to providing a type of “mini employee handbook” (in English) to employees when they are hired. The information must include: rate or rates of pay and the basis for pay (hour, shift, day, week, salary, piece, commission, or other method), allowances, if any, for meals and lodging; employer's policy on sick, vacation, personal leave, holidays and hours; employee's employment status and whether the employee is exempt from minimum wage and/or overtime; a list of deductions that may be made from the employee's pay; number of days in the pay period, the regularly scheduled payday, and the payday on which the employee will receive the first payment of wages earned; legal name of the employer and the operating name of the employer, if different from its legal name; physical address of the employer's main office or principal place of business, and its mailing address if different; and telephone number of the employer. If passed, and signed by the Governor, the new law would go into effect upon passage. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/Proposed25/H5679A.pdf Outdoor Dining Temporary Building H.6392, An Act Relating to Towns and Cities – Outdoor Dining Act, is scheduled for hearing, and perhaps quick passage. The bill allows a food service establishment to provide temporary outdoor dining services any time a building or other structure used as a food service establishment is rendered uninhabitable by virtue of a casualty i.e. fire or flood. The temporary building could be used for 18 months or until the building is fit for occupancy. If passed, the law would sunset June 30, 2027. This bill is directed at the Matunuck Oyster Bar. https://status.rilegislature.gov/documents/agenda-21107.aspx The Senate version is also scheduled for hearing and possible consideration Tuesday in the Senate Committee on Housing & Municipal Government https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S1139.pdf Wednesday, June 11th FY2026 Budget House Finance has scheduled a second hearing date and time if needed. H.5076, An Act Making Appropriations for the Support of the State for Fiscal year Ending June 30, 2026, could be voted on 5:00pm on June 11th, if the budget does not receive a vote Tuesday. The hearing will be live streamed. Livestreaming is available at https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv The following new bills have been filed: House Bill No. 6387 Felix, Cortvriend, Diaz, Kislak, Corvese, Handy, Morales, Alzate, Stewart, Hull, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- RIDESHARE OR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANY VEHICLE SURCHARGE (Imposes a seventy-five cent (0.75) surcharge on fares charged by rideshare companies as well as an account to benefit RIPTA from the payment of sales taxes collected from rideshares.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H6387.pdf Senate Bill No. 1131 Zurier, Bissaillon, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES--LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION (Authorizes municipalities to impose a ticket tax on ticket sales for venues large enough to hold at least eight hundred (800) patrons, seated, of seven percent (7%) per ticket. The tax shall be redistributed to the locality where the venue is located.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S1131.pdf This Week At the State House
We are awaiting the posting of the FY2026 budget in the House Finance Committee. The Committee is hoping to take it up this week for a vote. If that happens, the full House will debate and vote on the budget seven days later in accordance with the House rules. Meanwhile other committees are busy passing amended forms of bills that were heard over the last five months. Amendments to bills can be posted online 24 hours before the vote is taken and bills can be amended on the floor as well. The following is a list of bills scheduled for a vote or a hearing this week as of Sunday, June 1, 2025. Monday, June 2nd Senate Labor & Gaming Committee at 5:30 – Votes Only S.70, An Act Relating to Payment of Wages, changes an employer’s responsibilities as it relates to providing employees with statements of earnings. Today employers must include the hours worked, deductions from gross earnings and an explanation of those deductions. The legislation adds items such as the last four digits of the social security number, deduction explanations in “understandable language and form,” the employer’s address and name, and output information if pay is based on quantity. The bill was altered compared to last year’s bill to clarify that employers must only keep records for three years which is consistent with current law. It also requires employers to provide a type of “mini employee handbook” to employees. The sponsor did change the bill to include English as the language for the handbook. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0070.pdf S.124, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Labor Relations Act changes the definition of “employee” under Rhode Island law. Members of the unions are pushing this bill as a means to head off any changes in the National Labor Relations Board. S.124 is scheduled to be amended as the Chamber requested related to the definition of “employee.” The new definition, if passed, will read “"Employee" specifically includes any teaching assistants, research assistants, fellows, residential assistants and proctors who perform services for an employer or are under an employer's control or right of control, in return for payment or other compensation, notwithstanding whether the employee is a student, or the supervised teaching, research, or other services are a component of their academic development.” These individuals are currently covered in Rhode Island. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/Proposed25/S0124A.pdf S.361, An Act Relating to Fair Employment Practices expands the current law to include menopause and menopause related conditions in the law on fair employment practices pertaining to pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0361.pdf S.586, An Act Relating to Health and Safety, requires employers, starting January 1, 2026, to protect employees from extreme temperatures through rest breaks, PPE, training, and equipment, and mandate training, to recognize and mitigate heat and cold-related risks. The act would require the department of health to establish and implement the training program. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0586.pdf S.622, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations, removes a sunset provision in the unemployment benefit arena. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the General Assembly and Governor increased the total amount of earnings a partial-unemployment insurance claimant could receive before being entirely disqualified for unemployment insurance benefits and increased the amount of earnings disregarded when calculating a weekly benefit rate. At the time, it was deemed necessary because jobs were hard to find as many places were forcibly closed by the state. The law is about to sunset June 30, 2025. S.622 removes the sunset, making the benefit calculation permit. The bill was introduced at the request of DLT. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0622.pdf Tuesday, June 3rd Senate Finance Committee is holding a hearing on one bill of interest at the Rise in room 211. S.1040, An Act Relating to Taxation – Tax on Gains from the Sale or Exchange of Real Property, was introduced May 9th for the first time. The bill creates a new tax on gains from the sale or exchange of real property held for six years or less. *Gain, as a percentage of basis (tax cost) Years property held by transferor 0-99% 100-199% 200% or more Less than 4 months 60% 70% 80% 4 months, but less than 8 35% 52.5% 70% 8 months but less than 1 year 30% 45% 60% 1 year, but less than 2 25% 37.5% 50% 2 years, but less than 3 20% 30% 40% 3 years, but less than 4 15% 22.5% 30% 4 years, but less than 5 10% 15% 20% 5 years, but less than 6 5% 7.5% 10% The bill can be viewed in its entirety at https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S1040.pdf Testimony can be submitted to [email protected] House Labor Committee Vote At the Rise H.5029, An Act Relating to Labor and Labor Relations – Minimum Wage is scheduled for a vote. The SubA posted version calls for two increases in the minimum wage - $16 starting January 1, 2026; and $17 starting January 1, 2027. This amended version does not include the business community’s request to phase out the Sunday premium pay requirements that only exist in this state and no other. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/Proposed25/H5029A.pdf The following new bills have been filed: House Bill No. 6365 Cotter, Carson, Speakman, Boylan, Spears, Potter, Cruz, Stewart, Giraldo, Casimiro, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- RETAIL DELIVERY FEE (Imposes a fifty cent delivery fee (tax) per transaction for deliveries in the state.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H6365.pdf House Bill No. 6378 Morales, Shallcross Smith, Felix, Cruz, Potter, Stewart, Giraldo, AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT (Provides for the sealing of eviction records under certain circumstances.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H6378.pdf 
Advocacy in Action May 27, 2025
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