Rep. Brandon Potter

Maddy summaryHB 5103 prohibits landlords and housing agents in Rhode Island from asking applicants about prior incarceration history or discriminating against them based on that history. The bill amends the Fair Housing Practices Act to explicitly include "prior incarceration" as a protected characteristic, alongside existing categories like race and gender. This means landlords cannot deny housing, refuse to rent, or ask about past jail time during the application process. The law directly affects renters with criminal records and aims to reduce barriers to housing for people who have been released from prison.

Maddy summaryHB 5127 allows tenants to pay increased security deposits in monthly installments over 12 months if their landlord raises rent and the security deposit amount simultaneously. This directly affects tenants in rental properties where landlords increase both rent and security deposits. The bill amends the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to permit this payment schedule, while maintaining the existing limit of one month's rent for security deposits. It does not change the maximum deposit amount or other existing tenant protections.

Adds new sections that set forth conditions for pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation drug therapies, including education approved by state board of pharmacy. The cessation therapies to be covered by all health insurance carriers on or after 1/1/26.

Maddy summaryHB 5504 amends Rhode Island's Fair Housing Practices Act to explicitly protect tenants with disabilities who request to keep emotional support animals in their housing. The bill adds emotional support animals to the list of accommodations that landlords cannot deny based on disability. This change clarifies that landlords must allow such requests as a reasonable accommodation under the state law, directly affecting tenants with disabilities seeking housing. The amendment updates existing protections to specifically include emotional support animals, reinforcing that discrimination based on disability - such as refusing housing for this accommodation - is prohibited.

Maddy summaryHB 6061 requires insurance plans to cover mental health and substance use disorder treatment under the same terms as physical health conditions, eliminating annual or lifetime dollar limits. It mandates that financial requirements (like copays) and treatment limitations for these conditions cannot be stricter than those for medical care, and insurers must follow established clinical guidelines for coverage decisions. The bill directly affects insurance companies, health plans, and patients with mental health or substance use disorders by ensuring equitable access to care. It applies to all group and individual health insurance plans, excluding limited-benefit policies like accident-only coverage.

Maddy summaryHB 5920 amends Rhode Island's Fair Housing Practices Act by updating key definitions to clarify protections against housing discrimination. It specifically defines terms like "lawful source of income" (including Section 8 housing vouchers and public assistance), "disability" (excluding current illegal drug use), "assistance animals," and "gender identity or expression." These changes directly affect landlords, housing providers, and tenants by clarifying prohibited practices, such as inquiries about domestic abuse history or discrimination based on income source. The bill, currently pending in committee, aims to strengthen enforcement of existing anti-discrimination safeguards without creating new prohibitions.

Allows for a tenant to withhold payment of rent, and deposit the rent accruing into an escrow bearing account, upon the issuance of a second notice of violation by an enforcing officer for any state or local minimum housing code enforcement agency.

Maddy summaryHB 5503 would require landlords to have "good cause" to evict tenants in most residential rental properties, directly affecting renters and landlords covered by the law. The bill specifies that landlords can only remove tenants for defined reasons like nonpayment of rent (with limits on unreasonable rent increases) or serious lease violations, and must go through court to enforce evictions. It excludes certain properties, such as owner-occupied buildings with fewer than five units or housing tied to employment. The bill is currently under review by a committee and has not yet become law.

Limits rent increases to no more than 4% annually unless the landlord is granted an exemption by the secretary of housing and provides tenants with a civil action to recover damages, including an award of attorneys' fees/punitive damages, for violations.

Maddy summaryHB 5865 bans the sale of cosmetics in Rhode Island that were developed or manufactured using animal testing conducted on or after January 1, 2026. It directly affects cosmetic manufacturers and sellers within the state, imposing a $1,000 fine per violation for noncompliance. The law includes limited exemptions, such as when animal testing is required by federal or state regulators with no non-animal alternatives, or for ingredients in widespread use with no suitable substitutes. The bill amends existing cruelty-to-animals statutes to add this specific prohibition, focusing on the sale of cosmetics rather than testing itself.