2025 -- S 0032
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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A N A C T
RELATING TO TOWNS AN D CITIES -- STATE AID
Introduced By: Senators Acosta, Zurier, Mack, Bissaillon, Quezada, Bell, Ciccone, Felag,
DiMario, and Vargas
Date Introduced: January 23, 2025
Referred To: Senate Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 45-13-5.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-13 entitled "State Aid" 1
is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
45-13-5.1. General assembly appropriations in lieu of property tax from certain 3
exempt private and state properties. 4
(a) In lieu of the amount of local real property tax on real property owned by any private 5
nonprofit institution of higher education, or any nonprofit hospital facility, or any state owned and 6
operated hospital, veterans’ residential facility, or any municipal detention facility corporation 7
created pursuant to § 45-54-1, or correctional facility occupied by more than one hundred (100) 8
residents which may have been or will be exempted from taxation by applicable state law, exclusive 9
of any facility operated by the federal government, the state of Rhode Island, or any of its 10
subdivisions, the general assembly shall annually appropriate for payment to the several cities and 11
towns in which the property lies a sum equal to twenty-seven percent (27%) of all tax that would 12
have been collected had the real property been taxable; provided, however, said percentage shall 13
be subject to adjustment pursuant to subsection (e) of this section. 14
(b) In no event shall any city or town record in a fiscal year both: (1) Taxes and/or payments 15
under a stabilization agreement with a for-profit hospital facility; and (2) Distributions of 16
appropriations under this section attributable to the prior nonprofit status of said for-profit hospital 17
facility. 18
(c) As used in this section, “private nonprofit institution of higher education” means any 19
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institution engaged primarily in education beyond the high school level, the property of which is 1
exempt from property tax under any of the subdivisions, and “nonprofit hospital facility” means 2
any nonprofit hospital licensed by the state and which is used for the purpose of general medical, 3
surgical, or psychiatric care and treatment. 4
(d) The grant payable to any municipality under the provision of this section shall be equal 5
to twenty-seven percent (27%) of the property taxes that, except for any exemption to any 6
institution of higher education or general hospital facility, would have been paid with respect to 7
that exempt real property on the assessment list in the municipality for the assessment date of 8
December 31, 1986, and with respect to such exempt real property appearing on an assessment list 9
in the municipality on succeeding assessment dates. Provided, however, that the grant paid for the 10
fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, shall be based upon the assessment list in the municipality as of 11
December 31, 2004. 12
(e) The state budget offices shall include the amount of the annual appropriation in the state 13
budget for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 1988, and each fiscal year thereafter. The amount of 14
the annual distribution of appropriation payable to each eligible municipality in any year in 15
accordance with this section shall be reduced proportionately in the event that the total of the annual 16
appropriation in the state budget is insufficient to pay the eligible municipalities the amounts 17
otherwise payable to said communities pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. 18
(f) Distribution of appropriations shall be made by the state on or before July 31 of 1988 19
and each July 31 thereafter or following verified receipt of a municipality’s assessment data for the 20
following fiscal year’s payment, whichever is later, and the payments may be counted as a 21
receivable by any city or town for a fiscal year ending the preceding June 30. 22
(g) Any act or omission by the state with respect to this chapter shall in no way diminish 23
the duty of any town or municipality to provide public safety or other ordinary services to the 24
properties or facilities of the type listed in subsection (a). 25
(h) Provided, that payments authorized pursuant to this section shall be reduced pro rata, 26
for that period of time that the municipality suspends or reduces essential services to eligible 27
facilities. For the purposes of this section “essential services” include, but are not to be limited to, 28
police, fire and rescue. 29
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 30
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO TOWNS AN D CITIES -- STATE AID
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This act would include municipal detention facility corporations as exempt from taxation 1
under state law, and require the general assembly to appropriate, annually, for payment to the city 2
or town where the property is located a sum equal to twenty-seven percent (27%) of all tax that 3
would have been collected if the property was taxable. 4
This act would take effect upon passage. 5
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