| Chapter 294 |
| 2026 -- H 7865 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/23/2026 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO INSURANCE -- WEATHER-RELATED LOSSES |
Introduced By: Representatives Kennedy, Solomon, Edwards, O'Brien, Serpa, Spears, Cotter, Azzinaro, Diaz, and Shallcross Smith |
| Date Introduced: February 27, 2026 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Chapter 27-76 of the General Laws entitled "Weather-Related Losses" is |
| hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: |
| 27-76-10. Strengthen Rhody homes. |
| (a) There is hereby established within the department of business regulation, division of |
| insurance, the “strengthen Rhody homes” program. |
| (b) This section does not create an entitlement for property owners or obligate the state in |
| any way to fund the inspection, construction, or retrofitting of residential property in this state. |
| Implementation of the program is subject to the receipt of federal grants or funds from other sources |
| of grants or funds. The insurance superintendent shall use its best efforts to obtain grants or funds |
| from the federal government or other funding sources to supplement the financial |
| resources of the strengthen Rhody homes program that may be provided by the state. |
| (c) The strengthen Rhody homes program may apply for and receive financial grants or |
| gifts to construct or retrofit insurable property to resist loss due to a hurricane or other catastrophic |
| events. |
| (d) The strengthen Rhody homes program may also make grants or funding available to |
| nonprofit entities for projects to construct or retrofit insurable properties to resist loss due to |
| hurricane or other catastrophic windstorm if such grants or funding to nonprofit entities are |
| allowable under grant or funding rules, requirements, guidelines, or criteria. However, a nonprofit |
| entity shall agree to administer the grants or funds as the strengthen Rhody homes program would |
| be required to administer grants or funds, and the entity shall provide documentation to the |
| insurance superintendent in a timely manner as requested by the insurance superintendent. |
| (e) All mitigation shall be based upon the securing of all required local permits and |
| applicable inspections in keeping with local building codes and the Insurance Institute for Business |
| and Home Safety (IBHS) Fortified Homes Program. Mitigation projects are subject to random |
| reinspection of all projects. |
| (f) The insurance division may promulgate rules and eligibility requirements necessary for |
| the proper administration of this section and pursuant to any instructions or requirements on grants |
| or funds received by the insurance superintendent for the strengthen Rhody homes program. |
| (g) Strengthen Rhody homes program. |
| (1) The strengthen Rhody homes program is hereby created to make grants available to |
| residential Rhode Island homeowners to undertake resilience construction or retrofits to make the |
| residential home more resilient to a hurricane or other catastrophic risk. |
| (2) To be eligible for a grant, residential property owners applying for a grant must be able |
| to meet the eligibility requirements as set forth by the insurance division for each grant type. These |
| requirements shall include, but not be limited to, the following: |
| (i) The residential property owner shall claim their primary residence in a county where |
| grants are being approved at the property to be improved; |
| (ii) The home to be mitigated shall be an owner-occupied, single family, primary residence, |
| and cannot be a condominium or mobile home; |
| (iii) The home shall be in good repair unless damaged by a hurricane or other catastrophic |
| windstorm event. Strengthen Rhody homes program grant funds cannot be used for maintenance |
| or repairs, but may be used in conjunction with repairs or reconstruction necessitated by damages |
| from a catastrophic event; |
| (iv) A certified IBHS evaluator shall prequalify the insurable property as mitigable and |
| identify all improvements required to achieve IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ (Roof), FORTIFIED |
| Silver™ (Silver), FORTIFIED Gold™ (Gold), or successor designation, or similar standard |
| approved by the insurance division. The residential property owner shall select the evaluator from |
| a list provided by the strengthen Rhody homes program and shall pay the evaluator's fee; |
| (v) The residential property owner shall obtain bids from at least three (3) IBHS certified |
| contractors approved by the strengthen Rhody homes program; |
| (vi) The residential property owner shall construct or retrofit the home to the IBHS Roof, |
| Silver, Gold, or successor designation or similar standard approved by the insurance |
| superintendent; |
| (vii) The residential property owner shall provide proof of an in-force policy providing |
| wind insurance on the home; |
| (viii) If the insurable property is in a special flood hazard area, the residential property |
| owner shall provide proof of an in-force flood insurance policy. The flood policy may be from the |
| National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private carrier; and |
| (ix) Grant applications shall be filed in the manner directed by the insurance division in the |
| form and manner prescribed by the insurance superintendent, along with any applicable transaction |
| fees. |
| (3) Documents, materials, and other information submitted to the insurance superintendent |
| by property owners or insurance companies in support of a grant application shall be confidential |
| by law and privileged,; shall not be subject to open records requests,; shall not be subject to |
| subpoena,; and shall not be subject to discovery or admissible in evidence in any private civil |
| action. |
| (4) Grants to residential property owners shall be used to construct or retrofit an insurable |
| property to resist loss due to a hurricane or other catastrophic event. |
| (5) Retrofit projects within three (3) months of the date the residential property owner |
| receives notice of the grant approval. New builds shall be completed within the timeframe approved |
| by the insurance superintendent. Failure to complete the project timely may result in forfeiture of |
| the grant. |
| (6) Grant funds shall only be paid once a certificate has been issued for the IBHS standard |
| or similar approved by the insurance superintendent. Grant funds shall be paid by the insurance |
| superintendent or another designated agency, on behalf of the residential property owner, directly |
| to the contractor who performed the mitigation work. |
| (7) Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis within each income tier |
| established by the superintendent, with priority given to lower-income applicants,; applicants who |
| live in locations that, based on historical data, have a higher susceptibility to catastrophic weather |
| events,; and applicants meeting any other criteria the insurance superintendent determines is |
| appropriate to meet the purpose of the program. |
| (8) Any entity providing funds to the strengthen Rhody homes program shall be permitted |
| to establish additional rules and guidelines under which those funds may be used, as long as such |
| rules and guidelines do not violate any state or federal law. |
| (9) The insurance division may conduct random inspections of funds, records, and/or |
| properties to detect any fraud. These inspections may be conducted similarly to those in chapters |
| 13.1 and 71 of title 27. |
| (10) Under the strengthen Rhody homes program, a residential property owner shall hire |
| an IBHS certified contractor who is capable of performing work that satisfies the standards |
| prescribed by this section and the rules adopted thereto: |
| (i) The insurance superintendent shall not endorse or otherwise provide preferential |
| treatment to any contractor; |
| (ii) A residential property owner is legally responsible for any amount owed to a contractor |
| that exceeds awarded grant monies; |
| (iii) To be eligible to work on a project funded by the strengthen Rhody homes program as |
| a contractor, a contractor shall meet all program requirements including, but not limited to, those |
| listed in this section, and maintain a current copy of all applicable certificates, licenses, and proof |
| of insurance coverages with the program office; |
| (iv) The contractor shall hold a valid and active contractor's registration or license as |
| applicable pursuant to the provisions of chapter 65 and 65.4 of title 5 in Rhode Island and be free |
| from disqualifying disciplinary actions taken by the contractor registration licensing board as |
| determined by the insurance superintendent |
| (v) The contractor shall hold an active IBHS FORTIFIED Roof™ contractor certification |
| or FORTIFIED professional certification. The contractor is responsible for paying all fees |
| associated with certification and training; |
| (vi) The contractor shall maintain accurate contact information with the strengthen Rhody |
| homes program; |
| (vii) The contractor shall agree to follow the strengthen Rhody homes program's |
| procedures and rules as prescribed by the insurance superintendent; |
| (viii) The contractor shall not have a financial interest in any project funded by the |
| strengthen Rhody homes program for which they perform work other than receiving payment on |
| behalf of the homeowner from the strengthen Rhody homes program and shall report to the |
| strengthen Rhody homes program any potential conflicts of interest before work commences; and |
| (ix) The contractor shall not be the evaluator for any project funded by the strengthen |
| Rhody homes program. |
| (11) Evaluators: |
| (i) To be eligible to work on a project funded by the strengthen Rhody homes program as |
| an evaluator, the evaluator shall meet all program requirements including, but not limited to, those |
| listed below and maintain a current copy of all applicable certificates and licenses with the |
| strengthen Rhody homes program office; |
| (ii) The evaluator must be in good standing with IBHS and maintain an active IBHS |
| certification as a FORTIFIED roof evaluator. The evaluator is responsible for paying all fees |
| associated with certification and training; |
| (iii) The evaluator shall agree to follow the strengthen Rhody homes program's procedures |
| and rules as prescribed by the insurance superintendent; |
| (iv) The evaluator shall maintain accurate contact information with the strengthen Rhody |
| homes program; |
| (v) The evaluator shall not have any financial interest in any project which they inspect for |
| designation purposes for the strengthen Rhody homes program; |
| (vi) The evaluator shall not be a contractor or supplier of any materials and/or products or |
| systems installed in any home they inspect for designation purposes for the strengthen Rhody |
| homes program; |
| (vii) The evaluator shall not be the sales agent for any home being designated for the |
| strengthen Rhody homes program; and |
| (viii) The evaluator shall inform the strengthen Rhody homes program of any potential |
| conflicts of interest. |
| (12) Funding: |
| (i) There is hereby created a revolving fund in the department of business regulation, to be |
| designated the "strengthen Rhody homes revolving fund". The fund shall be a continuing fund, not |
| subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall consist of any monies deposited to the fund from the |
| receipt of federal grants or funds or from other sources of grants or funds. All monies accruing to |
| the credit of the fund are hereby appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the insurance |
| superintendent for the purpose of assisting the strengthen Rhody homes program in performing all |
| acts that relate to the function and purpose of the strengthen Rhody homes program. |
| (ii) Monies collected pursuant to this act shall be deposited in the strengthen Rhody homes |
| revolving fund. Monies shall not lapse, unless otherwise specified under federal funding or federal |
| grant, or a grant or funds from another source, or be transferred to any other state funds and shall |
| not be utilized for any other purpose |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC005410/SUB A |
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