2025 -- S 1141

========

LC003031

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025

____________

A N   A C T

RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES

     

     Introduced By: Senators Bell, Thompson, and Quezada

     Date Introduced: June 06, 2025

     Referred To: Senate Housing & Municipal Government

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

1

     SECTION 1. Section 44-5-13.11 of the General Laws in Chapter 44-5 entitled "Levy and

2

Assessment of Local Taxes" is hereby amended to read as follows:

3

     44-5-13.11. Qualifying low-income housing — Assessment and taxation.

4

     (a) Any residential property qualifying low-income housing that has been issued an

5

occupancy permit on or after January 1, 1995, after substantial rehabilitation as defined by the U.S.

6

Department of Housing and Urban Development and is encumbered by a covenant recorded in the

7

land records in favor of a governmental unit or the Rhode Island housing and mortgage finance

8

corporation restricting either or both the rents that may be charged to tenants of the property or and

9

the incomes of the occupants of the property, is subject to a tax that equals eight percent (8%) of

10

the property’s previous years’ gross scheduled rental income or a lesser percentage as determined

11

by each municipality.

12

     (b) For the purposes of this section, “qualifying low-income housing” shall mean:

13

     (1) A low income unit, as defined in 26 USC § 42(i)(3) on January 1, 2025, in a qualified

14

low-income housing project, as defined in 26 USC § 42(g) on January 1, 2025; or

15

     (2) Affordable housing, as defined in § 42-128-8.1(d)(1) on January 1, 2025, approved for

16

tax treatment under this section as of December 31, 2024.

 

1

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

========

LC003031

========

 

LC003031 - Page 2 of 3

EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES

***

1

     This act would clarify the tax treatment of qualifying low-income housing. It would require

2

that future housing units receiving this tax treatment meet the federal definitions of a low-income

3

unit in a qualified low-income housing project, but it would allow any unit meeting the state

4

definition of affordable housing to continue to receive this tax treatment if it was approved as of

5

December 31, 2024.

6

     This act would take effect upon passage.

========

LC003031

========

 

LC003031 - Page 3 of 3