| R 422 |
| 2023 -- H 6449 Enacted 06/14/2023 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO REVIEW AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICIES THAT DEAL WITH NUMEROUS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SHORT-TERM RENTALS ISSUES CONCURRENTLY |
Introduced By: Representative Lauren H. Carson |
| Date Introduced: May 26, 2023 |
| WHEREAS, Short-term rental accommodations account for more than 25 percent of the |
| United States lodging market with the rise of companies like Airbnb creating a booming market |
| that provides affordable short-term rentals for travelers; and |
| WHEREAS, A short-term rental (STR) is usually defined as a rental of a residential |
| dwelling unit or accessory building for periods of less than 30 consecutive days and may be |
| referred to as vacation rentals, transient rentals, short-term vacation rentals, or resort dwelling |
| units; and |
| WHEREAS, While beneficial to the individual homeowner, oftentimes, the use of short- |
| term rentals produces significant consequences for the surrounding community, creating the need |
| to balance the rights of individual property owners with those of the community; and |
| WHEREAS, While current studies have examined the economic and social benefits of |
| short-term rentals with recommendations to lower the potential drawbacks, it is necessary to |
| review the creation of policies that deal with numerous issues concurrently rather than addressing |
| each potential issue individually; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created |
| consisting of fifteen (15) members: four (4) of whom shall be members of the Rhode Island |
| House of Representatives, not more than three (3) from the same political party, to be appointed |
| by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island Hospitality |
| Association, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island League of Cities |
| and Towns, or designee; one of whom shall be the Tax Administrator at Rhode Island Division of |
| Taxation, or designee; one of whom shall be a member of a regional Tourism District |
| Organization, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be the Mayor of |
| the City of Newport, or designee; one of whom shall be the Mayor of the City of Warwick, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the owner of a small, owner-occupied, short-term rental (STR), to |
| be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be the owner of a large (over 8 |
| units), short-term rental (STR) property, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of |
| whom shall be a representative of a RI Planning/Zoning Association, to be appointed by the |
| Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be the President of the RI Association of REALTORS, |
| or designee; and one of whom shall be the Executive Director of The Rhode Island Short Term |
| Rental Association, or designee. |
| In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a legislative study |
| commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly resolution, the appointing |
| authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu of a legislator; provided |
| that, the majority leader or the minority leader of the political party which is entitled to the |
| appointment consent to the member of the general public. |
| The purpose of said commission shall be to study the effects of short-term rentals on the |
| State of Rhode Island and on Rhode Island municipalities. The study shall include, but not be |
| limited to: |
| • Review of all current and existing RI Statutes on short-term rentals; |
| • An update on DBR registrations process and enforcement; |
| • Municipal vs. state regulation: pre-emption; |
| • Taxation: whole house, impact fee; |
| • Taxation: accuracy of hotel and sales tax collection/review of the process; |
| • Impact on year-round and local housing market and neighborhoods; |
| • Health and safety concerns and issues; and |
| • Best practice in other states/communities. |
| In addition, the commission shall: |
| • Establish a working definition of "short term rentals"; |
| • Engage the public and community stakeholders including property owners, |
| industry representatives, Police and Fire Chiefs, and zoning and planning officials, etc., for input; |
| • Develop an understanding of the nature, extent, and scope of short-term rental |
| activity and identify specific benefits, problems, or issues associated with "short-term rentals" and |
| how it varies from neighborhood to neighborhood, and municipality to municipality. |
| Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at |
| the call of the Speaker of the House and organize and shall select, from among the legislators, a |
| chairperson. |
| Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. |
| The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services. |
| All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, |
| documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or |
| desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. |
| The Speaker of the House is hereby authorized and directed to provide suitable quarters |
| for said commission; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its initial findings and recommendations |
| to the House of Representatives on or before March 15, 2024, with submission of subsequent |
| findings reported biannually, and said commission shall expire on April 15, 2026. |
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| LC002990 |
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