Expands the duties of the small business ombudsman, by also having the ombudsman serve as the Rhode Island commerce corporation's small business advocate.
Defines multi-family housing project as over 60 units in municipality with less than 35k residents, also provides for pre-approval conference with local board for review of plan.
Specifies that low and moderate income housing exists when a city or town has adopted an inclusionary zoning ordinance requiring that all housing developments include at least fifty percent (50%) low or moderate income housing units.
Maddy summaryHB 5690 would repeal Chapter 45-53 of Rhode Island's General Laws, titled "Low and Moderate Income Housing." This repeal would eliminate the existing legal framework requiring cities and towns to plan for and provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents. The law previously mandated municipalities to adopt housing plans meeting specific affordability targets and included detailed definitions for terms like "affordable housing" and "local review board." This bill directly affects all Rhode Island cities and towns that previously operated under this housing chapter.
Provides that water utility companies be responsible for all costs associated with maintenance, operation and delivery of water pumping stations to individual parcels of land and schools with no pumping stations on the property.
Maddy summaryHB 5583 restricts utility-scale solar projects (10 MW or larger) to locations on developed urban land, commercial properties, rooftops, or parking lots - banning development on forested land, farmland, or rural areas over one acre. It directly affects solar developers and landowners seeking to build large solar installations on undeveloped rural properties. The bill amends zoning laws to require that such projects serve existing developed areas rather than open rural landscapes. The law would take effect immediately upon passage.
Mandates all health insurance contracts, plans, or policies provide the same reimbursement to independent healthcare facilities as that of hospital affiliated facilities where the same healthcare service is provided.
Requires a municipality or quasi-public agency to file a report with the department of municipal finance if it has not made its payment to its other post-employment benefits trust fund or if it is less than thirty-five percent (35%) funded.
Repeals the certificate of need process statutes which are used by the department of health to determine the need for new health care equipment and new institutional health services.
Maddy summaryHB 5356 caps application fees for healthcare facilities seeking certificates of need for new or expanded tertiary/specialty care services at $25,000 total. This directly affects hospitals or health systems applying for major facility expansions or specialized services, as their current fee structure (a base $10,000 plus 0.25% of capital costs) is now limited. The bill amends fee rules under Rhode Island’s certificate of need program, ensuring no applicant pays more than $25,000 regardless of project size. All other applications (non-tertiary/specialty) retain their existing $500-$750 base fees plus 0.25% of costs, with no cap applied.
