Rhode Island Bill Book

The bill would let MAP Behavioral Health Services and MAP Development avoid paying property taxes, so other residents would have to cover the lost revenue.

If passed, the state would lose tax money from these companies, which could force towns to raise other taxes or cut services, while the companies keep more profit.

Big Business

• Accountability (hurts) — Tax exemption reduces company accountability for public costs. Companies pay less, less oversight
• Rights & Protections (hurts) — No new protections for citizens, shifts burden. Tax relief benefits only the companies
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Other taxpayers must make up lost revenue. Public services may suffer
• Process Transparency (neutral) — Bill is still early, little public debate. Introduced and sent to committee
• Funding Tilt (hurts) — Shifts funding away from public to private firms. State loses tax base

• Official text (RI H7775)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7775https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7775/2026

The state would spend $117,600 to help pay for a health insurance premium increase recommended by the commissioner.

Citizens may end up paying higher health insurance premiums, while insurers get state money to support the hike; now is the time to speak up before the bill moves forward.

Insurers

• Accountability (hurts) — Limited oversight on how the extra money will be used. The bill adds funding without new reporting requirements.
• Rights & Protections (hurts) — No new consumer protections. It does not address how higher rates affect policyholders.
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Costs likely shift to consumers. Funding a rate increase may raise premiums for everyday people.
• Process Transparency (hurts) — Committee sent it back for further study. No clear timeline or detailed justification provided.
• Funding Tilt (hurts) — State money directed to insurers. The $117,600 supports the insurance industry's recommended rate hike.

• Official text (RI H8183)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H8183https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H8183/2026

The bill would let certain business tax credits be paid back to owners, reducing the money the state gets from those businesses.

Citizens could see higher taxes or fewer services because the state would have to return money to businesses, while the businesses get a cash boost.

Pass‑through businesses

• Accountability (neutral) — No change to oversight. The bill does not alter accountability mechanisms.
• Rights & Protections (neutral) — No impact on personal rights. The proposal does not affect individual legal rights.
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Cost shift to taxpayers. Refundable credits reduce state revenue, increasing the fiscal burden on the public.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — Standard legislative process. The bill is introduced and scheduled for hearing without special transparency measures.
• Funding Tilt (hurts) — No new funding, reduces revenue. The measure does not add funding and may lower state income.

• Official text (RI H8187)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H8187https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H8187/2026

The bill would let data centers avoid paying property, sales and use taxes, costing the state money and shifting the burden to everyday taxpayers.

Citizens could lose tax revenue that funds schools and roads, while data center firms gain cheap operating costs; now is the time to speak up before the tax break passes.

Data Centers

• Accountability (hurts) — Reduces oversight of data center finances. Tax breaks may limit public scrutiny of company contributions
• Rights & Protections (neutral) — No direct impact on personal rights. Bill does not change individual legal protections
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Shifts tax revenue loss to taxpayers. State collects less money for schools, roads, and services
• Process Transparency (neutral) — Bill is still in early stage. Limited public debate so far
• Funding Tilt (hurts) — Reduces state funding for public programs. Tax exemptions lower revenue that could fund public services

Pushing for it: Data Centers
Bearing the cost: Taxpayers

• Official text (RI S2346)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — S2346https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/S2346/2026

The state would stop collecting a tax from electric and gas companies, which could mean higher utility bills for everyday people.

Citizens should watch this bill because losing tax revenue may force the utility companies to raise rates, costing households more money while the state loses funding for services.

Utilities

• Accountability (hurts) — Tax break reduces oversight of utilities. Companies pay less tax, less public scrutiny
• Rights & Protections (neutral) — No direct change to consumer rights. Bill does not affect legal protections
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Cost shifts to taxpayers and ratepayers. State loses revenue, likely passed to consumers
• Process Transparency (neutral) — No new transparency measures. Bill follows normal legislative process
• Funding Tilt (hurts) — Revenue tilt away from public services. Tax suspension reduces state funding sources

• Official text (RI H7703)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7703https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7703/2026

This bill would make it harder for young people to get emergency help when they need it.

If this bill passes, young people aged 18 to 20 may miss out on important emergency services. It's important to speak up now to protect their access to help.

Everyday People

• Rights & Protections (hurts) — Limits access to emergency services for young people.. Raising the age limit may prevent 18 to 20-year-olds from receiving necessary help.
• Funding Tilt (helps) — Establishes a minimum reimbursement rate.. This could improve funding for mobile response services.

• Official text (RI H7939)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7939https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7939/2026

This bill would make health insurers pay healthcare providers at least 65% of unpaid bills after trying to collect them.

If this bill passes, healthcare providers might get paid more, but it's unclear how it affects patients and their costs.

• Rights & Protections (neutral) — No clear rights are added or removed for consumers.. The bill focuses on payments between insurers and providers.
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Patients may face higher costs if providers increase fees.. Providers might raise costs to cover unpaid amounts.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — The process for payments is somewhat clearer.. It defines how insurers should handle unpaid bills.

• Official text (RI S3088)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — S3088https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/S3088/2026

Doctors could add reasonable admin fees to patient bills, and insurers could not stop them.

The bill lets doctors charge extra fees to cover their costs, which could mean higher bills for patients but may keep doctors in practice and give them more freedom.

Physicians

• Accountability (neutral) — neutral effect on accountability. does not add oversight
• Rights & Protections (helps) — adds doctors' right to charge fees. prevents insurers from restricting reasonable fees
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — potential higher out‑of‑pocket fees. fees added to patient bills
• Process Transparency (neutral) — no new disclosure requirements. does not affect process
• Funding Tilt (neutral) — no funding changes. no money involved

• Official text (RI S2879)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — S2879https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/S2879/2026

The commission would create a special service category for large electricity users, separating them from regular residential customers.

People need to speak up now; the rule could let huge power users pay their own rates, which might keep home bills from rising, or it could let them shift costs onto regular customers.

Large energy users

• Accountability (neutral) — No new accountability measures added.. The bill only directs the commission to create a classification.
• Rights & Protections (neutral) — No direct rights removal for consumers.. The text does not change consumer rights.
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Potential cost shift to residential customers.. Separating large users could let utilities move costs onto regular households.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — Commission action may be less visible to public.. The bill does not require public reporting.
• Funding Tilt (neutral) — No funding changes mentioned.. The bill does not allocate or change money.

• Official text (RI H7270)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7270https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7270/2026

Health insurers would have to create plans that pay for a wide range of pain‑relief services beyond opioids, helping patients get needed care.

Citizens should watch this bill because it could make pain care more affordable and available, but insurers might raise premiums to cover the new costs, so public input matters now.

Everyday People

• accountability (helps) — insurers must plan. adds insurer accountability for pain coverage
• rights & protections (helps) — patient access. improves patient right to pain treatment
• who bears the cost (helps) — cost on insurers. shifts cost to insurers, not consumers
• process transparency (neutral) — early stage. bill just introduced, limited transparency
• funding tilt (neutral) — no funding. does not allocate money

• Official text (RI H7628)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7628https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7628/2026

This bill would stop assisted living homes from charging rent for more than seven days after a person leaves, protecting families from unfair bills.

This bill helps families avoid surprise bills after a loved one leaves an assisted living home. It makes sure homes cannot keep charging for an empty room forever. This protection is important for people who might be grieving and dealing with many other things. It is important for citizens to speak up now to make sure this protection becomes real.

Everyday People

• Accountability (helps) — Facilities would be held to a clear limit on charging for empty rooms.. The bill would make it a deceptive trade practice to charge rent and fees for more than seven days or until removal of the personal property from the room, whichever occurs first.
• Rights & Protections (helps) — Protects families from unfair charges after a loved one leaves an assisted living home.. Limits the facility's ability to charge rent and fees for a maximum of seven days or until removal of the personal property from the room, whichever occurs first.
• Who Bears the Cost (helps) — Families would pay less for empty rooms.. The bill would prevent assisted living facilities from charging rent and fees beyond a maximum of seven days or until removal of the personal property from the room, whichever occurs first, shifting the cost burden away from families.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — No direct impact on transparency.. The bill does not directly address process transparency.
• Funding Tilt (helps) — Favors families over facilities in billing disputes.. By limiting charges, the bill financially benefits families who might otherwise face extended billing for unoccupied rooms.

Pushing for it: Families of assisted living residents
Bearing the cost: Assisted living facilities

• Official text (RI H7929)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7929https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7929/2026

This bill would stop landlords from raising rent more than 4% each year, giving renters a way to take them to court if they break the rules.

This bill would help renters by putting a limit on how much their rent can go up each year. It also gives people a clear way to fight back if their landlord tries to raise the rent too much. Some landlords might say they need to raise rent more to pay for things like taxes or insurance. This bill tries to be fair by letting them ask for special permission for bigger increases if they truly need it. It is important for people to know about this bill now, while it is still being discussed, because it could make housing more steady for many families in Rhode Island.

Everyday People

• Accountability (helps) — Landlords would be held accountable for rent increases.. The bill provides tenants with civil remedies for violations, meaning they can take landlords to court if the rules are broken.
• Rights & Protections (helps) — Tenants gain protection from large rent increases.. The bill limits annual rent increases to 4% and gives tenants a way to enforce this protection.
• Who Bears the Cost (helps) — Tenants are protected from sudden, large cost increases.. The bill shifts some potential cost burden from tenants by capping rent increases, though landlords can seek exemptions for specific cost increases.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — The bill does not directly address process transparency.. The official text does not include provisions related to how transparent the legislative or enforcement process would be.
• Funding Tilt (neutral) — The bill does not involve specific funding or appropriations.. The bill focuses on regulating rent increases and providing civil remedies, not on funding specific programs or entities.

Pushing for it: Renters
Bearing the cost: Landlords

• Official text (RI H8108)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H8108https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H8108/2026

This bill would give bigger tax breaks to people who build or fix up homes, making more affordable places to live for regular people.

This bill could help make more affordable homes available in Rhode Island by giving bigger tax breaks to those who create them. If passed, it might encourage more building and fixing up of old places, especially for families who need cheaper rent or homes to buy. Some might worry about the state losing money from these tax breaks, but supporters believe it is worth it to help more people find a good place to live. It is important to pay attention now while the bill is still being studied.

Real estate developers

• Accountability (neutral) — Neutral impact. The bill focuses on incentives for development, not on holding anyone accountable for past actions or failures.
• Rights & Protections (helps) — Helps people. By encouraging more affordable housing, this bill would help protect people's right to find a safe and affordable place to live.
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Cost to taxpayers. Tax credits mean the state collects less money in taxes, which could mean less money for other state services or a need for other taxes to cover the difference, impacting taxpayers.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — Normal process. The bill is going through the normal legislative steps, including being introduced and scheduled for a hearing, then held for further study.
• Funding Tilt (helps) — Funds affordable housing. The bill provides financial incentives (tax credits) specifically to encourage the creation of affordable housing, which benefits people seeking such housing.

Pushing for it: Developers and builders of affordable housing
Bearing the cost: Rhode Island taxpayers (due to reduced state revenue)

• Official text (RI H8408)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H8408https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H8408/2026

This bill would give bigger tax breaks to people who fix up old buildings to make more affordable homes for families.

This bill wants to make it cheaper for builders to turn old buildings into new homes. If it passes, more people might be able to find a good place to live that they can afford. It helps families who need a home but cannot pay high prices. Some people might worry that tax breaks mean less money for other state needs. But others think it is a good way to help with the housing problem. You can tell your lawmakers what you think about helping build more affordable homes.

Construction

• Accountability (neutral) — Neutral. This bill is about tax credits, not holding people accountable for bad actions.
• Rights & Protections (helps) — Helps people. It would help more people get affordable housing, which is a basic need.
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Cost to taxpayers. The state budget would collect less tax money, meaning taxpayers pay for the program indirectly.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — Neutral. The bill's text does not discuss how transparent the process for getting these credits would be.
• Funding Tilt (helps) — Funds affordable housing. It would give money to developers who build affordable housing, helping those who need homes.

Pushing for it: Developers who create affordable housing
Bearing the cost: Rhode Island state budget

• Official text (RI S3151)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — S3151https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/S3151/2026

This bill would help make sure health insurance covers mental health and substance use equally as other health issues.

If this bill passes, people will have better access to mental health care. Now is the time to support it for better treatment options.

Everyday People

• Rights & Protections (helps) — Improves mental health coverage. This bill strengthens protections for mental health care.
• Accountability (helps) — Enforces compliance with federal laws. Insurers must comply with existing mental health laws.

• Official text (RI H7946)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7946https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7946/2026

Helps people buy or rent affordable homes

If you're struggling to find a place to live, this bill could make it easier to find affordable housing, but it's still in the early stages and needs support to become law

Housing developers

• Accountability (neutral) — No direct impact on accountability. The bill focuses on tax credits and sales tax elimination
• Rights & Protections (helps) — Positive impact on access to affordable housing. The bill aims to increase affordable housing options
• Who Bears the Cost (helps) — Reduces costs for businesses and renters. Tax credits and eliminated sales tax can lower costs
• Process Transparency (neutral) — No direct impact on process transparency. The bill does not address transparency in its current form
• Funding Tilt (helps) — Positive funding impact for affordable housing. The tax credits can encourage investment in affordable housing

Pushing for it: Businesses and renters
Bearing the cost: None stated

• Official text (RI H7396)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7396https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7396/2026

The bill would make insurance claim arbitration quicker and more fair, and stop insurers from dragging out the process.

If passed, policyholders could get their claims settled faster, avoiding long waits and unfair outcomes; insurers would have to follow clear timelines, which helps people now while the bill is being debated.

Everyday People

• Accountability (helps) — insurers must follow fair, timely arbitration rules. Bill adds rules to stop insurers from delaying or obstructing dispute resolution
• Rights & Protections (helps) — strengthens consumer rights in insurance claims. Improves fairness and timeliness of arbitration and appraisal proceedings
• Who Bears the Cost (neutral) — no new taxpayer funding required. Bill does not create new spending
• Process Transparency (helps) — makes arbitration process clearer. Improves fairness and timeliness of arbitration and appraisal
• Funding Tilt (neutral) — no funding changes. Bill does not allocate or cut money

• Official text (RI H7516)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7516https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7516/2026

The bill would make insurance claim arbitration quicker and more fair, stopping insurers from dragging out the process.

Consumers could finally get timely payouts after a claim, instead of waiting months while insurers stall, which means less stress and quicker money for repairs.

Everyday People

• Accountability (helps) — insurers must follow arbitration timelines. prevents insurer delays
• Rights & Protections (helps) — adds consumer protections in claims. makes arbitration fairer
• Who Bears the Cost (helps) — costs fall on insurers, not consumers. no new fees for claimants
• Process Transparency (helps) — clear rules for arbitration and appraisal. makes dispute process open
• Funding Tilt (neutral) — no new funding changes. neutral effect on budget

• Official text (RI S2312)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — S2312https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/S2312/2026

Health plans must pay for a glucagon auto‑injector or nasal spray with no copay or deductible, so diabetics can get it quickly.

This bill could save lives by making a life‑saving drug free at the point of use, but it also means insurers will have to cover the cost, which could raise premiums later.

Everyday People

• Accountability (helps) — Positive. Insurers must cover a specific life‑saving drug.
• Rights & Protections (helps) — Positive. Adds right to get glucagon without out‑of‑pocket cost.
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Negative. Shifts cost to insurers, potentially affecting premiums.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — Neutral. Bill is still in committee, no vote yet.
• Funding Tilt (neutral) — Neutral. No new funding source is created.

• Official text (RI H7075)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7075https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7075/2026

This bill would make landlords register details about older homes with the state, letting people see some of that information to help keep them safe.

This bill would make landlords register properties built before 1978 with the Department of Health. Some of this information would be public. This could help people know more about the safety of their homes, especially older ones, by making important details easier to find. It could also help the state keep track of potential health issues in older buildings. Landlords would have new paperwork to do and might have to pay fees to register their properties. This bill is still being studied, so now is the time to speak up if you want more information about your home or if you are a landlord concerned about new rules.

Everyday People

• Accountability (helps) — Increases landlord accountability. Landlords would be required to register specific information about older residential properties, making them more accountable for their condition.
• Rights & Protections (helps) — Protects tenants with information. Tenants would gain access to information about older properties, potentially helping them make safer housing choices and protecting their health.
• Who Bears the Cost (hurts) — Landlords bear registration costs. Landlords would incur costs and effort to register their properties with the Department of Health.
• Process Transparency (neutral) — Standard legislative process. The bill has followed a standard legislative path, being introduced and referred to committee, then held for further study.
• Funding Tilt (neutral) — No funding details provided. The official text does not specify any new funding or appropriations related to this registry.

Pushing for it: Tenants, public health
Bearing the cost: Landlords (for registration costs)

• Official text (RI H7559)https://status.rilegislature.gov/
• LegiScan — H7559https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/H7559/2026