Legislative Break Week
The General Assembly observed the annual February legislative break last week.
Next Week At the State House

Monday, February 24th
AI 101
The Senate Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technology Committee will have a presentation at 2:30pm in Room 313 by URI Professor Zhu (Drew) Zhang on Artificial Intelligence. To watch the livestream, visit https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/. Prior to legislative break the committee had a Cybersecurity 101 presentation by RIC Cybersecurity Institute Director Douglas Alexander, which can be viewed here: https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/10806?site=1.

Tuesday, February 25th

Changes in Health Club Services
The House of Representatives convenes at 4pm and will vote on H 5215, which would require health clubs to stop automatic deductions from consumer accounts within 30 days of receiving written notice, as well as require 60 days notice of proposed rate increase or substantial change in services to the consumer.


AEDs at Golf Courses
The House Health & Human Services Committee is scheduled to consider at the Rise (approximately 4:30pm) in Room 135 H 5083 Sub A, which would include public or private golf courses in the list of public places required to have automated external defibrillators and at least one person trained tin AED use.


Healthcare Professional Complaints
The House Health & Human Services Committee will also conduct a hearing on H 5303, which would require the establishment of a searchable database of healthcare professions’ complaint histories, accessible to healthcare employers. License holders can review and dispute entries inaccurately attributed to the license holder. If you wish to submit written comment, please email it to [email protected].

Small Employer Health Insurance
The House Corporations Committee will conduct a hearing at the Rise in Room 101 on H 5418, which would amend the definition of small employers for the purposes of insurance availability from less than 50 employees to less than 100 employees. If you wish to submit written comment, please email it to: [email protected].


Single Payer Healthcare
The House Corporations Committee will also conduct a hearing on H 5465, which would establish a universal single payer health care insurance program paid for by consolidating government and private payments to multiple insurance carriers into a Medicare-for-all style single payer program. If you wish to submit written comment, please email it to: [email protected].

Taxes & Fees
The Senate Finance Committee will conduct a hearing at the Rise in Room 211 on sections of Budget Article 5 relative to Taxes and Fees. The information provided below about these articles comes from the House and Senate Fiscal Staff analyses that provide helpful summaries of the sections. If you wish to provide comments on any of these issues, email testimony to: [email protected].

Taxes and Fees – Article 5, Section 2, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18

Section 2 increases the technology surcharge imposed by the DMV by $1, from $2.50 to $3.50.

Section 5 sunsets the Job Growth Act tax incentive as of January 1, 2026. The incentive allows eligible employees of qualified companies to lower their adjusted gross income for tax purposes by up to 50.0 percent of their income earned from bonuses. According to the Governor’s Office of Revenue Analysis (ORA), the modification is taken by fewer than 10 taxpayers annually. The revenue impact of eliminating this underutilized tax expenditure for FY2026 is $1,489 and is $2,979 in FY2027.

Section 11 sunsets the Specialized Mill Building Investment Tax Credit as of January 1, 2026. The State has provided a credit of 10.0 percent of the rehabilitation and reconstruction costs of a certified rehabilitated mill building. The credit was associated with the Mill Building and Economic Revitalization Act, which sunset in 2009. ORA indicates the credit has not been used since tax year 2019.

Section 12 has two notable changes. R&D Credit for Qualified Research Expenses - Carryforward: Extends the period of time that R&D expense tax credits may be carried forward by a taxpayer from seven years to fifteen. The State allows a taxpayer to claim a credit against certain business taxes for certain research expenses. Unused amounts of the credit earned in a taxable year may be carried forward up to seven succeeding tax years. The Governor recommends extending this carryforward period to fifteen, bringing Rhode Island in line with Massachusetts and Connecticut. ORA indicates that there is no fiscal impact. Section 12 also sunsets the New R&D Facilities Deduction and Property Credit as of January 1, 2026. The State
has allowed eligible taxpayers to deduct expenditures related to the development of any new tangible property related to research and development, including construction and acquisition costs. Eligible taxpayers may also claim a 10.0 percent credit against certain business taxes for tangible property primarily used for R&D. Taxpayers must choose either the deduction or the credit. According to the ORA, these tax expenditures are underutilized, as fewer than 30 taxpayers were projected to claim the deduction in 2024.


Section 13 provides $235 million in aid to municipalities to reimburse for lost revenue from the repeal of the motor vehicle excise tax. It eliminates the sales tax inflator, and sets annual reimbursement at the higher of Fy24 or FY25 funding levels.


Section 14 sunsets the Small Business Capital Investment Wage Credit as of January 1, 2026. The State has provided eligible entrepreneurs of qualifying businesses a tax credit for 3.0 percent of employee wages in excess of the $50,000. According to the ORA, this credit is statutorily obsolete. There has been no activity related to this tax expenditure since at least TY2019.


Section 15 sunsets the Small Business Investment Deduction and Modification as of January 1, 2026. Taxpayers may take a deduction or modification to offset their business or income tax liability if they have made a qualifying investment in a certified venture capital partnership. According to the Office of Revenue Analysis (ORA) this is an underutilized tax expenditure. The revenue impact of repealing this tax expenditure is $6,551 in FY2026 and $13,102 in FY2027.


Section 16 authorizes a financial institution data match system for state tax collection purposes. The section specifically requires the Division of Taxation to develop and operate the data match system. It requires all financial institutions doing business in the state to develop a data matching system to facilitate the identification and seizure of non-exempt financial assets of delinquent taxpayers as identified by the Division. It requires financial institutions to report data matching information to the Division at least quarterly, including delinquent taxpayers’ names, addresses, social security numbers, account numbers, and balances. The section also provides the financial institutions with legal protections associated with the disclosure of this information to Taxation. The section prohibits the financial institution and the third party from disclosing information exchanged in the data match system (including to the account holder) unless authorized by the tax administrator. It includes penalties in the event this is violated. The ORA estimates that the data matching program will yield an additional $5.3 million in general revenue in FY2026, and $8.0 million in FY2027, based on an October 15, 2026, program start date.


Section 18 prohibits municipalities from establishing and enforcing restrictions related to home based businesses whose activity is not public facing, to ensure remote workers do not need a home occupation permit.


Wednesday, February 26th
Taxes & Fees
The House Finance Committee will conduct a hearing at 4pm in Room 35 on sections of Budget Article 5 relative to Taxes and Fees and Article 6 relative to Economic Development. The information provided below about these articles comes from the House and Senate Fiscal Staff
analyses that provide helpful summaries of the sections. If you wish to provide comments on any of these issues, email testimony to [email protected].

Sections 5, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 are described above.

Section 1 extends the Job Development Fund assessment to non-profit organizations with more than 500 employees. The Governor’s budget office estimates raising $2.3 million in new funding from this initiative.

Sections 8 and 9 assume an additional $4.4 million in revenues from a proposal to increase the cigarette tax by 50 cents to $5.00 per 20-pack, effective September 2, 2025 (including a floor tax adjustment for retailers). This assumption was calculated by assuming $4.7 million more in excise tax offset by a $0.3 million reduction in applicable sales tax to reflect a decline in consumption linked to the higher cost. The estimated FY 2027 value is $3.3 million.


Section 17 imposes a new tax on a company’s annual gross revenue derived from digital advertising services in Rhode Island. The initiative is estimated to generate $9.5 million in FY2026 based on a January 1, 2026 effective date. This grows to $19.6 million in FY2027 with a full year of the tax. The digital advertising gross revenues tax (DAT) is equal to 10.0 percent of the assessable base for a taxpayer with annual gross revenues exceeding $1.0 billion. The article also prohibits a business that derives income from digital advertising services in Rhode Island from directly passing on the cost of the tax to a customer who purchases the digital advertising by means of as separate fee, surcharge, or line-item. Businesses with annual gross revenues below $1.0 billion are exempt from the tax. Taxpayers must apportion their digital advertising revenue based on the number of devices accessing the advertising in Rhode Island compared to the total number accessing it outside of the state. The Governor’s proposal is based on Maryland’s digital advertising tax, the only state currently to pass this idea. Businesses are currently challenging the legality of the program in court.


Article 6 – Economic Development


Article 6 reauthorizes the Executive Office of Commerce’s incentive programs for an additional year by extending the statutory sunset provisions placed on them from December 31, 2025, to December 31, 2026 (Rebuild RI, Wavemaker Fellowship, Innovate RI, Innovation Initiative, Main Streets Revitalization, First Wave Closing Fund, I-195 Redevelopment Fund). It also permanently eliminates the sunset for the Small Business Assistance Program Act, and does not extend the sunset for the P-Tech program, effectively ending the program on December 31 of this year. The article deregulates retail sales operations on legal holidays, other than Christmas and Thanksgiving, by eliminating holiday operations licensing requirements. The repeal of holiday business licensing would negatively impact most municipal revenues, but the magnitude is unknown. Lastly, Article 6 simplifies how a consumer may be able to opt out of contracts with health clubs and dating services by adding e-mail as an allowed form of contract termination communication. The repeal of holiday business licensing would negatively impact most municipal revenues, but the magnitude is unknown.




Thursday, February 27th


Wavier of Interest on Commercial Properties
The House Committee on Municipal Government & Housing is scheduled to consider at the Rise in the House Lounge H 5269, which would allow the waiver of interest on overdue taxes for commercial properties.


Homestead Exemptions
The House Committee on Municipal Government & Housing will also conduct a hearing on H 5308, which would permit every municipality to offer homestead exemptions up to 20% of assessed value on residential properties. If you wish to submit written comment, please email it to [email protected].




Commercial Driving Instruction
The House Committee on State Government & Elections is scheduled to consider at the Rise in Room 101 H 5231, which would provide that commercial driving instruction include training on the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking.




Climate Superfund
The House Environment & Natural Resources Committee will conduct a hearing at the Rise in Room 135 on H 5424, which would recover funds from entities that extracted or refined fossil fuesl and were responsible for more than one billion tons of covered greenhouse gas emissions. If you wish to provide comments, please email testimony to [email protected].






Real Estate Conveyance Tax
The House Finance Committee will conduct a hearing at the Rise in Room 35 on section 10 of Budget Article 5 relative to the real estate conveyance tax (RECT) statute. The State currently imposes a tax on each deed, instrument, or writing by which interests in real estate are conveyed to a purchaser when the value of the transfer is greater than $100. The tax rate is $2.30 for each additional $500 in value (0.46 percent). For transactions valued $800,000 and above, the RECT rate applied to the value above that amount doubles from $2.30 to $4.60 per each $500 (0.92 percent of the additional value). Section 10 of Article 5 amends the real estate conveyance tax statute. For residential real estate transactions valued above $800,000 a new tax is imposed (in addition to two described above) on the amount above the first $800,000. The new tax is applied at a rate of $1.65 per $500, or fractional part of it (0.33 percent for a total of 1.25 percent on the value over $800,000). As a comparison, Massachusetts has a real estate conveyance tax of $2.28 per $500 (0.456 percent). Connecticut’s tax is 0.75 percent for residential real estate below $800,000, 1.25 percent for property above $800,000 but below $2.5 million. The tax is 2.25 percent on transactions valued above $2.5 million. If you wish to provide comments on any of these issues, email testimony to [email protected].




Economic Development
The Senate Finance Committee will conduct a hearing at 4pm in Room 211 on Article 6 relative to Economic Development, which is described above. If you wish to provide comments on any of these issues, email testimony to: [email protected].






The following new bills have been filed:
Senate Bill No. 316
BY Zurier, Pearson, Britto, de la Cruz, DiPalma
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND COMMERCE CORPORATION (Requires a seventy-five percent (75%) supermajority vote by the board of directors to establish a quorum and to approve any action taken by the commerce corporation.)
Senate Bill No. 318
BY Tikoian, Lawson, Dimitri, Burke, Urso, Britto, Sosnowski, Rogers, LaMountain, de la Cruz
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- LONG TERM CONTRACTING STANDARDS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY (Allows for the procurement of nuclear power.)
Senate Bill No. 326
BY Ujifusa, Euer, Bell, Kallman, Valverde, Gu, Britto, DiMario, Mack, Sosnowski
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND CLIMATE SUPERFUND ACT OF 2025 (Establishes the Rhode Island Climate Superfund Act cost recovery program.)
Senate Bill No. 329
BY Murray, Gu, Ciccone, Sosnowski, Lawson, Felag, Bissaillon, Urso, Acosta, Pearson
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PERSONAL INCOME TAX (Creates an additional tax rate of 3% on taxable income over $625,000 in 2025 dollars. Applies to tax years 2026 and thereafter and not retroactively.)
Senate Bill No. 330
BY Burke, LaMountain, Tikoian, Raptakis, Appollonio
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES (Allows the waiver of interest on overdue taxes for commercial properties.)
Senate Bill No. 338
BY Sosnowski, Euer, McKenney, Kallman, Murray, Valverde
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE ACT OF 2025 (Establishes a fee on companies that sell fossil fuels in Rhode Island and establishes a fund to disburse the collected funds.)
Senate Bill No. 346
BY Bell, Ujifusa, Murray, Valverde, Lawson, DiMario, Mack, Euer, Quezada, Kallman
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE RHODE ISLAND COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (Establishes a single-payer health care insurance system, consolidating public and private payments into a more efficient Medicare-for-all style program, funded by progressive taxes, to reduce health care costs.)
Senate Bill No. 353
BY McKenney, LaMountain, Burke
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE IN PARTICULAR ACTIONS -- ARBITRATION (Extends time for a party to apply for stay of arbitration to180 days; invalidates any provision that penalizes a party for seeking legal representation; requires arbitrator to provide notice of default to a party for failure to pay fees.)
Senate Bill No. 358
BY Gu, Zurier, DiPalma, Burke, Bell, Kallman, Bissaillon, Euer, Tikoian
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- CAUSES OF ACTION (Provides a civil cause of action for individuals injured by artificial intelligence.)
Senate Bill No. 361
BY Urso, Sosnowski, Murray, Euer, Gallo, Lawson, Felag, DiPalma, Tikoian, Britto
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES (Updates and 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.

​Centreville Bank Expands Presence in Warren with Planned New Full-Service Branch
Purchase of 521 Main Street strengthens commitment to the community and marks fourth office in the East Bay.
WEST WARWICK, RI (February 24, 2025) -- Centreville Bank is pleased to announce its acquisition of 521 Main Street in Warren, Rhode Island, as the site of its newest full-service branch. The location, soon to be vacated by longtime tenant Citizens Bank, will allow Centreville Bank to expand its commitment to serving the Warren community with a full suite of banking services later this year.  The branch represents one of five branches throughout Rhode Island that Centreville Bank is planning to open in 2025, which will bring the bank to a total of 26 locations throughout Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut.  
Currently, Centreville Bank operates a Loan Production Office at 957 Main Street, where customers can access mortgage and lending services. With the upcoming opening of the new branch, customers will have access to a full range of personal and business banking products, including checking and savings accounts, consumer and commercial lending, and financial advisory services. 
“We’re excited to establish our first full-service branch in Bristol County, continuing our commitment to expand our services to all five counties in Rhode Island.” said Leland Merrill, EVP, Chief Lending Officer at Centreville Bank. “While we prepare to open our doors at 521 Main Street later this year, we encourage new customers to utilize our ITM/ATM services at 957 Main Street. Additionally, a retail representative will be on hand in mid-March to assist with any banking needs and welcome new customers to Centreville.”
Centreville Bank, founded in 1828, is a leading community bank with a strong reputation for personalized service and community engagement. With 22 branch locations across Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut, the bank is committed to providing innovative financial solutions while supporting the economic growth of the communities it serves.
For additional information 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.
 
###

Legislative Break Week
The General Assembly is observing the annual February legislative break this week.
Next Week At the State House – Finance Committee Hearings
Most hearings for the week of February 25 – 27 will be posted this week. However, the House Finance Committee has provided extra preparation time for a few hearings by posting them last Friday. The information provided below about these articles comes from the House and Senate Fiscal Staff analyses that provide helpful summaries of the sections. If you wish to provide comments on any of these issues, email testimony to [email protected]
Wednesday, February 26th 4:00 p.m. in Room 35
Taxes and Fees – Article 5, Sections 1, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 14-18
Section 1 extends the Job Development Fund assessment to non-profit organizations with more than 500 employees. The Governor’s budget office estimates raising $2.3 million in new funding from this initiative.
Section 5 sunsets the Job Growth Act tax incentive as of January 1, 2026. The incentive allows eligible employees of qualified companies to lower their adjusted gross income for tax purposes by up to 50.0 percent of their income earned from bonuses. According to the Governor’s Office of Revenue Analysis (ORA), the modification is taken by fewer than 10 taxpayers annually. The revenue impact of eliminating this underutilized tax expenditure for FY2026 is $1,489 and is $2,979 in FY2027.


Sections 8 and 9 assume an additional $4.4 million in revenues from a proposal to increase the cigarette tax by 50 cents to $5.00 per 20-pack, effective September 2, 2025 (including a floor tax adjustment for retailers). This assumption was calculated by assuming $4.7 million more in excise tax offset by a $0.3 million reduction in applicable sales tax to reflect a decline in consumption linked to the higher cost. The estimated FY 2027 value is $3.3 million.


Section 11 sunsets the Specialized Mill Building Investment Tax Credit as of January 1, 2026. The State has provided a credit of 10.0 percent of the rehabilitation and reconstruction costs of a certified rehabilitated mill building. The credit was associated with the Mill Building and Economic Revitalization Act, which sunset in 2009. ORA indicates the credit has not been used since tax year 2019.


Section 12 has two notable changes. R&D Credit for Qualified Research Expenses - Carryforward: Extends the period of time that R&D expense tax credits may be carried forward by a taxpayer from seven years to fifteen. The State allows a taxpayer to claim a credit against certain business taxes for certain research expenses. Unused amounts of the credit earned in a taxable year may be carried forward up to seven succeeding tax years. The Governor recommends extending this carryforward period to fifteen, bringing Rhode Island in line with
Massachusetts and Connecticut. ORA indicates that there is no fiscal impact. Section 12 also sunsets the New R&D Facilities Deduction and Property Credit as of January 1, 2026. The State has allowed eligible taxpayers to deduct expenditures related to the development of any new tangible property related to research and development, including construction and acquisition costs. Eligible taxpayers may also claim a 10.0 percent credit against certain business taxes for tangible property primarily used for R&D. Taxpayers must choose either the deduction or the credit. According to the ORA, these tax expenditures are underutilized, as fewer than 30 taxpayers were projected to claim the deduction in 2024.


Section 14 sunsets the Small Business Capital Investment Wage Credit as of January 1, 2026. The State has provided eligible entrepreneurs of qualifying businesses a tax credit for 3.0 percent of employee wages in excess of the $50,000. According to the ORA, this credit is statutorily obsolete. There has been no activity related to this tax expenditure since at least TY2019.


Section 15 sunsets the Small Business Investment Deduction and Modification as of January 1, 2026. Taxpayers may take a deduction or modification to offset their business or income tax liability if they have made a qualifying investment in a certified venture capital partnership. According to the Office of Revenue Analysis (ORA) this is an underutilized tax expenditure. The revenue impact of repealing this tax expenditure is $6,551 in FY2026 and $13,102 in FY2027.


Section 16 authorizes a financial institution data match system for state tax collection purposes. The section specifically requires the Division of Taxation to develop and operate the data match system. It requires all financial institutions doing business in the state to develop a data matching system to facilitate the identification and seizure of non-exempt financial assets of delinquent taxpayers as identified by the Division. It requires financial institutions to report data matching information to the Division at least quarterly, including delinquent taxpayers’ names, addresses, social security numbers, account numbers, and balances. The section also provides the financial institutions with legal protections associated with the disclosure of this information to Taxation. The section prohibits the financial institution and the third party from disclosing information exchanged in the data match system (including to the account holder) unless authorized by the tax administrator. It includes penalties in the event this is violated. The ORA estimates that the data matching program will yield an additional $5.3 million in general revenue in FY2026, and $8.0 million in FY2027, based on an October 15, 2026, program start date.


Section 17 imposes a new tax on a company’s annual gross revenue derived from digital advertising services in Rhode Island. The initiative is estimated to generate $9.5 million in FY2026 based on a January 1, 2026 effective date. This grows to $19.6 million in FY2027 with a full year of the tax. The digital advertising gross revenues tax (DAT) is equal to 10.0 percent of the assessable base for a taxpayer with annual gross revenues exceeding $1.0 billion. The article also prohibits a business that derives income from digital advertising services in Rhode Island from directly passing on the cost of the tax to a customer who purchases the digital advertising by means of as separate fee, surcharge, or line-item. Businesses with annual gross revenues below $1.0 billion are exempt from the tax. Taxpayers must apportion their digital advertising revenue based on the number of devices accessing the advertising in Rhode Island compared to the total number accessing it outside of the state. The Governor’s proposal is based on Maryland’s digital advertising tax, the only state currently to pass this idea. Businesses are currently challenging the legality of the program in court.


Article 6 – Economic Development


Article 6 reauthorizes the Executive Office of Commerce’s incentive programs for an additional year by extending the statutory sunset provisions placed on them from December 31, 2025, to December 31, 2026 (Rebuild RI, Wavemaker Fellowship, Innovate RI, Innovation Initiative, Main Streets Revitalization, First Wave Closing Fund, I-195 Redevelopment Fund). It also permanently eliminates the sunset for the Small Business Assistance Program Act, and does not extend the sunset for the P-Tech program, effectively ending the program on December 31 of this year. The article deregulates retail sales operations on legal holidays, other than Christmas and Thanksgiving, by eliminating holiday operations licensing requirements. The repeal of holiday business licensing would negatively impact most municipal revenues, but the magnitude is unknown. Lastly, Article 6 simplifies how a consumer may be able to opt out of contracts with health clubs and dating services by adding e-mail as an allowed form of contract termination communication. The repeal of holiday business licensing would negatively impact most municipal revenues, but the magnitude is unknown.




Thursday, February 27th At the Rise (approximately 4:30 p.m.) in Room 35


Article 5, Section 10 amends the real estate conveyance tax (RECT) statute. The State currently imposes a tax on each deed, instrument, or writing by which interests in real estate are conveyed to a purchaser when the value of the transfer is greater than $100. The tax rate is $2.30 for each additional $500 in value (0.46 percent). For transactions valued $800,000 and above, the RECT rate applied to the value above that amount doubles from $2.30 to $4.60 per each $500 (0.92 percent of the additional value). Section 10 of Article 5 amends the real estate conveyance tax statute. For residential real estate transactions valued above $800,000 a new tax is imposed (in addition to two described above) on the amount above the first $800,000. The new tax is applied at a rate of $1.65 per $500, or fractional part of it (0.33 percent for a total of 1.25 percent on the value over $800,000). As a comparison, Massachusetts has a real estate conveyance tax of $2.28 per $500 (0.456 percent). Connecticut’s tax is 0.75 percent for residential real estate below $800,000, 1.25 percent for property above $800,000 but below $2.5 million. The tax is 2.25 percent on transactions valued above $2.5 million.


The following new bills have been filed:
Senate Bill No. 285 Quezada, Bell, Bissaillon, Ciccone, Mack, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- CONSUMER CREDIT HISTORY EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION ACT -- DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES (Prohibits employers from seeking/using credit reports in making hiring decisions concerning prospective employees, asking questions about the applicant's financial past during interviews or including credit history questions in their job applications.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0285.pdf
Senate Bill No. 302 LaMountain, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- RHODE ISLAND NONCOMPETITION AGREEMENT ACT (Prohibits noncompete agreements except for noncompete agreements between a seller and buyer of a business; creates civil action for an employer for the violation of
an agreement by employee regarding disclosure or wrongful utilization of trade secrets.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0302.pdf
Senate Bill No. 310 Quezada, Ciccone, Urso, Thompson, Mack, Patalano, Valverde, Kallman, Lauria, Bissaillon, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES (Sets the minimum wage for 2026 at $16 per hour, 2027 at $17 per hour, 2028 at $18 per hour, 2029 at $19 per hour and for 2030 at $20 per hour.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0310.pdf
House Bill No. 5418 Nardone, Santucci, Paplauskas, Quattrocchi, Hull, Cortvriend, Place, AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- SMALL EMPLOYER HEALTH INSURANCE AVAILABILITY ACT (Amends the definition of "small employer" for purposes of the small employer health insurance availability act to mean a business employing less than one hundred (100) employees rather than fifty (50) employees.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5418.pdf
House Bill No. 5424 Boylan, Carson, McGaw, Cortvriend, Spears, Handy, Potter, Speakman, Kislak, Tanzi, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND CLIMATE SUPERFUND ACT OF 2025 (Establishes the Rhode Island Climate Superfund Act cost recovery program.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5424.pdf
House Bill No. 5450 Handy, Cortvriend, Kislak, Stewart, McGaw, Speakman, Boylan, Fogarty, Carson, Ajello, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- ALL-ELECTRIC BUILDING ACT (Provides that no city or town may issue a permit for the construction of new buildings, that are not an all-electric building, if the initial application for a permit was submitted after December 31, 2026, unless certain circumstances apply.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5450.pdf
House Bill No. 5454 Serpa, Ackerman, Fellela, Read, Chippendale, Edwards, O'Brien, Baginski, J. Brien, Azzinaro, AN ACT RELATING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY -- COMMITTEES AND STAFF (Requires nonprofit, as a condition for requesting state funds from the general assembly, to submit & post on their website, a list of10 of their highest paid director, officer & employee salaries & any forms of compensation provided to those individuals.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5454.pdf
House Bill No. 5456 Santucci, Fascia, Paplauskas, Newberry, Roberts, Hopkins, Chippendale, Place, J. Lombardi, J. Brien, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND COMMERCE CORPORATION (Requires a seventy-five percent (75%) supermajority vote by the
board of directors to establish a quorum and to approve any action taken by the commerce corporation.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5456.pdf
House Bill No. 5465 Morales, Potter, Tanzi, Batista, Stewart, Cruz, Handy, J. Lombardi, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE RHODE ISLAND COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (Establishes a single-payer health care insurance system, consolidating public and private payments into a more efficient Medicare-for-all style program, funded by progressive taxes, to reduce health care costs.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5465.pdf
House Bill No. 5473 Alzate, Casimiro, Batista, Craven, Donovan, Kislak, Potter, Kazarian, Morales, Stewart, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PERSONAL INCOME TAX (Creates an additional tax rate of 3% on taxable income over $625,000 in 2025 dollars. Applies to tax years 2026 and thereafter and not retroactively.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5473.pdf
House Bill No. 5492 Boylan, McGaw, Bennett, Kislak, Speakman, Carson, Handy, Cortvriend, Spears, Fogarty, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- MICROPLASTICS REDUCTION ACT (Creates the Microplastics Reduction Act to prohibit the sale or distribution of products containing synthetic polymer micro particles.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5492.pdf
House Bill No. 5493 Kislak, Carson, Spears, Handy, Speakman, McGaw, Boylan, Fogarty, Potter, McEntee, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- BUILDING DECARBONIZATION ACT OF 2025 (Establishes a program for the energy and water benchmarking of large buildings in Rhode Island and a standard for their energy performance.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5493.pdf
House Bill No. 5506 Craven, O'Brien, Shanley, Dawson, Finkelman, Corvese, Potter, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- EMPLOYEES' FREE SPEECH IN WORKPLACE (Protects employees' rights in the workplace concerning political and religious matters, by creating a civil action that may provide damages and attorneys' fees.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5506.pdf
House Bill No. 5507 Felix, Edwards, Kazarian, Batista, Diaz, Sanchez, Stewart, Morales, Potter, Furtado, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR
RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES (Gradually increases the minimum wage for employees receiving gratuities.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5507.pdf House Bill No. 5508 Sanchez, Cruz, Stewart, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES (Provides that commencing January 1, 2026, the minimum wage shall be twenty-two dollars ($22.00) per hour.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5508.pdf
House Bill No. 5531 Stewart, Morales, Potter, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- RHODE ISLAND NEW QUALIFIED JOBS INCENTIVE ACT 2015 (This act would sunset/discontinue the Jobs Development Act rate reduction as of July 1, 2025.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5531.pdf

The General Assembly will observe the annual February legislative break next week.

Advertising Prices of Goods and Services
The House Corporations Committee has H.5247 on its agenda Tuesday At the Rise (approximately 4:30pm) in Room 101. (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5247.pdf) The bill, An Act Relating to Commercial Law, declares advertising a price of a good or service that does not include all related fees or charges, a violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. H.5247 does exempt government taxes and fees as well as shipping charges. All other related charges must be disclosed or the provider/retailer is subject to a civil penalty up to $10,000 per violation, or a private or class action suit. Testimony should be emailed to [email protected]

Data Breach Procedural Changes

The House Committee on Innovation, Internet & Technology Committee is meeting at the Rise on Tuesday in Room 136 to discuss proposed changes to Rhode Island’s Data Breach law. H.5301, An Act Relating to Criminal Offenses – Identity Theft Protection Act of 2015, expands the data breach law to any entity or person “that maintains or stores, but does not own or license, data” that includes personal information. A business would be required to notify the licensor of the breach of security along with the date and approximate time of the breach and steps taken to minimize the breach once discovered. The notification must be made “without unreasonable delay,” a term not defined in the legislation. H.5301 seems to expand the notification to breaches affecting less than 500 Rhode Island residents, something that is exempt under current law. Testimony for H.5301 (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5301.pdf) may be emailed to [email protected]


Cause of Action for Artificial Intelligence

The Chamber anticipates the introduction of many bills that relate to the use of AI; H.5224 is one of the first to receive a hearing. H.5224, An Act Relating to Courts and Civil Procedure – Causes of Action (https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5224.pdf) creates a cause of action for individuals injured by artificial intelligence. If you are using AI, the Chamber encourages you to read this legislation and provide feedback so that we can respond appropriately. The bill addresses AI developers that perform “the initial training of a covered model either by training a model using a sufficient quantity of computing power and cost, or by
fine-tuning an existing covered model or covered model derivative using a quantity of computing power…” H.5224 calls for strict liability of developers under most scenarios. The bill will be heard Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee, At the Rise, in the House Lounge. Written testimony may be emailed to: [email protected]




Wednesday, February 12th


House Labor to Take Testimony – Warehouse Employees, Workplace Bullying


At the Rise (approximately 4:30 pm), the House Labor Committee will be taking testimony on a couple bills of interest. The hearing will be held in room 101 and written testimony can be emailed to [email protected]


H.5047 covers workers in a warehouse environment. The bill, An Act Relating to Labor Relations – Warehouse Worker Protection Act, requires employers, with 100 or more employees at a single site or 1,000 employees in total, to provide each employee of a warehouse distribution center, at the time of hiring, a written description of quotas related to the employee with defined time periods and any adverse actions that may happen should the employee fail to meet the quota. Employees may also request from the employer a copy of the employee's own speed data as well as the aggregated work speed data for comparable employees working in the facility; however, nothing requires the employer to collect and use speed data. Employers cannot set quotas that prevent an employee from taking meal and restroom breaks. https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5047.pdf


H.5132 is the 2025 version of the workplace bullying bill. This legislation establishes an obligation on employers to keep employees safe from psychological abuse in the workplace. The definition of "psychological abuse" under this bill includes actions such as “mistreatment that has the effect of hurting, weakening, confusing, or frightening a person mentally or emotionally.” These terms are very subjective. They can mean different things to different people, leaving everyone wondering what they can and cannot do or say in the workplace. An employee may use both direct and circumstantial evidence to prove a violation occurred. The legislation does include an affirmative defense for employers. To qualify the employer must show it took all steps contemplated in the statute. Presumably that includes: (1) adopting a policy against psychological abuse and anti-retaliation policies; (2) training all managers, supervisors and “representative employees” as to handling complaints of abusive behavior, (3) Posting employees’ rights, (4) Implementing an investigation policy for complaints; (5) Annually filling out the workplace climate survey with OSHA or DLT; (6) Annually reporting the number of employee complaints, disciplines, workers compensation claims, absenteeism rates, stress leave rates, attrition rates, discrimination complaints, investigation rates, follow-up actions; (7) Show employer and representative employees didn’t know or should not have known about the activities. In the event an allegation is deemed to fit the definitions outlined in the legislation, that employee is entitled to economic, compensatory, and punitive damages or $5,000, whichever is greater. The employer is also responsible for the employee’s attorney fees, expert witness fee, and costs.


Thursday, February 13th


Job Development Assessment Expansion


The Senate Finance Committee scheduled a hearing at 4:00 p.m. Thursday in Room 211. The topic of discussion is the Governor’s proposal to extend the job development assessment of 0.21 percent to include non-profit, non-governmental employers of 500 or more employees beginning July 1, 2025 (Article 5, Section 1). According to the fiscal staff analysis, this is estimated to impact 20 to 30 employers annually, and generate approximately $2.6 million. The Governor proposes that $2.3 million of the additional funding be used to support Real Jobs Rhode Island, with the remainder for core unemployment services consistent with the current split of this assessment to other employers. Written testimony may be emailed to [email protected]




The following new bills have been filed:
House Bill No. 5301 Phillips, Serpa, Fellela, Casey, J. Brien, Cruz, O'Brien, Batista, Costantino, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES-IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION ACT OF 2015 (Expands responsibilities of agencies, persons or entities that store, own, collect, process, maintain, acquire, use, or licenses data, who experiences a security breach, include providing additional information to persons affected and law enforcement) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5301.pdf
House Bill No. 5304 Hull, Perez, J. Lombardi, Bennett, Biah, O'Brien, Fogarty, Diaz, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- THE COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION BENEFITS ACT (Establishes the commuter transportation benefit chapter. Employers with five hundred (500) or more employees would be required to establish a pre-tax commuter transportation fringe benefit program.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5304.pdf House Bill No. 5305 Morales, Furtado, McNamara, Stewart, Shanley, Casimiro, Alzate, McEntee, Potter, Cruz, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- DIVISION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH (Requires employers to protect employees from extreme temperatures through rest breaks, PPE, training, and equipment, and mandates quarterly supervisor training, to recognize and mitigate heat- and cold-related risks.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5305.pdf
House Bill No. 5314 Kislak, Diaz, J. Lombardi, Hull, Ajello, Slater, Batista, Biah, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- THE PARKING SERVICES TAXATION ACT (Grants municipalities the authority to impose a parking services
sales tax on parking lots and parking structures that charge for parking services through an ordinance.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5314.pdf
House Bill No. 5316 Finkelman, Solomon, Shanley, Morales, Dawson, Noret, Phillips, Batista, Caldwell, Voas, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- HOUSING FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT ACT OF 2025 (Establishes the Housing Flexible Spending Account Act of 2025 allowing Rhode Island employers to contribute pre-tax income into a housing flexible spending account (H-FSA), for employees to be used for qualified housing expenses.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5316.pdf
House Bill No. 5403 Casey, Solomon, Corvese, J. Brien, Chippendale, Newberry, Finkelman, Santucci, Phillips, Baginski, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- BUSINESS CORPORATION TAX (Repeals the corporation minimum tax.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5403.pdf
Senate Bill No. 185 Sosnowski, Murray, Zurier, Valverde, Kallman, DiMario, Gu, Ciccone, Pearson, Britto, AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- DUTIES OF UTILITIES AND CARRIERS (Creates an income-sensitive tiered subsidy program to ensure that home energy utility costs are affordable for eligible low-income households.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0185.pdf
Senate Bill No. 215 Mack, Ciccone, Murray, Kallman, Lauria, Valverde, Thompson, Quezada, Acosta, AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES (Commencing January 1, 2026, this act would increase the minimum wage for employees receiving gratuities from the current $3.89 to $6.75 per hour.) https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/SenateText25/S0215.pdf