Grants the town council of the town of Hopkinton the authority to confer jurisdiction to the municipal court to hear and determine appeals from decisions of the Chief of Police related to the return of seized firearms.
Prohibits public utilities, serving greater 100,000 customers from recovering through rates any direct or indirect cost associated with, amongst other costs, advertising, marketing, communications.
Directs the public utilities commission to establish a standardized framework for determining authorized common equity ratios and authorized rates of returns on equity for public utilities.
Authorizes the collection of a small additional fee, in addition to the registration fee paid by motorboat owners, to be deposited in a restricted account, in order to fund the newly established freshwater lake management program.
Establishes civil penalties for extended service interruptions by water suppliers. These penalties would be in addition to other available remedies and damages.
Maddy summaryHB 7886 requires electric and gas utility companies to read customer meters quarterly instead of monthly, with bills issued within 14 days of the reading. It mandates that utilities file their estimated billing formulas with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) for approval and prohibits charging customers extra for unrecorded usage if meters aren't read on schedule. The bill also forbids utilities from passing meter-reading costs to customers and requires any excess charges beyond prior estimates to be forfeited if quarterly readings are missed. This affects all electric and gas distribution utilities and their residential and commercial customers in the state, taking effect July 1, 2026.
Provides that effective July 1, 2026, the profit margin of any electric distribution company or distributor of natural gas, would not exceed four percent (4%), in any given calendar year.
Maddy summaryHB 7993 establishes a new bureau of public protection within Rhode Island's Attorney General's office, directly affecting businesses or government entities engaging in repeated illegal conduct. The bureau will handle consumer protection, healthcare regulation, environmental issues, and civil rights through dedicated units. It authorizes the Attorney General to seek court orders for injunctions, restitution, and penalties against "persistent illegality" (repeated illegal acts affecting multiple people), while excluding criminal law enforcement. The law requires annual reports to the legislature detailing investigations, court applications, and outcomes.
Changes the assessment for residential property where forty percent (40%) of the dwellings are below eighty percent (80%) of statewide median income and thirty percent (30%) are below sixty percent (60%).
Requires the public utilities commission to provide for a classification of service for retail electricity consumers that are large energy use facilities.
