Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0085 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- S 0085
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7	7	LC000406
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO COMMERCI AL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISION S --
16	16	GROCERY STORES
17	17	Introduced By: Senators Lawson, LaMountain, and Bissaillon
18	18	Date Introduced: January 31, 2025
19	19	Referred To: Senate Commerce
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22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Findings. 1
24	24	The general assembly finds and declares that: 2
25	25	(1) Grocery stores provide many people with their primary place of social connection and 3
26	26	sense of community. This activity is particularly true for the elderly; 4
27	27	(2) The increasing use of self-service checkouts, where the customer does not interact with 5
28	28	a human, contributes to social isolation and related negative health consequences; 6
29	29	(3) Elderly customers and customers with disabilities often lack the confidence or ability 7
30	30	to use self-service checkouts; 8
31	31	(4) Self-service checkouts increase the risk for shoplifting, credit card theft and hacking of 9
32	32	customers' personal information; 10
33	33	(5) Self-service checkouts essentially turn customers into unpaid employees and allows 11
34	34	grocery retailers to decrease labor costs and actual customer service; 12
35	35	(6) Self-service checkouts contribute to retail workers feeling devalued and adds efficiency 13
36	36	pressures on workers as well as encourages grocery stores to allow longer lines for check-out stands 14
37	37	staffed by a cashier to encourage customers to use the self-service checkout; 15
38	38	(7) Self-service checkouts allow grocery stores to rely more heavily on part-time 16
39	39	employees, positions which do not provide retail workers with a living wage or access to benefits; 17
40	40	(8) Many retail workers, particularly those with a part-time schedule, qualify and receive 18
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44	44	income-based public benefits such as food stamps (currently known as Supplemental Nutrition 1
45	45	Assistance Program benefits or "SNAP"), and subsidized healthcare; 2
46	46	(9) Because people of color are overrepresented in cashier positions, which is the lowest 3
47	47	paid position in retail businesses, the increasing use of self-service checkouts has a disproportionate 4
48	48	negative impact on people of color. 5
49	49	SECTION 2. Title 6 of the General Laws entitled "COMMERCIAL LAW — GENERAL 6
50	50	REGULATORY PROVISIONS" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 7
51	51	CHAPTER 61 8
52	52	GROCERY STORES 9
53	53	6-61-1. Definitions. 10
54	54	As used in this chapter: 11
55	55	(1) "Grocery store" means a retail store in the State of Rhode Island that earns the majority 12
56	56	of its gross income from the retail sale of groceries and sells primarily household foodstuffs for off-13
57	57	site consumption, including the sale of fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, deli products, dairy 14
58	58	products, canned foods, dry foods, beverages, baked goods or prepared foods. Other household 15
59	59	supplies or other products shall be secondary to the primary purpose of food sales. 16
60	60	(2) "Manual checkout station" provides human assistance to shoppers, scanning, bagging 17
61	61	and accepting payment for their purchases. 18
62	62	(3) "Retail sale" means the sale of groceries to a consumer for use or consumption, and not 19
63	63	for the purpose of resale. 20
64	64	(4) "Self-service checkout" means an automated process that enable shoppers to scan, bag 21
65	65	and pay for their purchases without human assistance. 22
66	66	6-61-2. Restriction on number of self-service checkouts in grocery stores. 23
67	67	Grocery stores shall not have more than six (6) self-service checkout stations operating at 24
68	68	any one time per location. 25
69	69	6-61-3. Minimum manual checkout. 26
70	70	Grocery stores with self-checkout stations shall have a minimum of one manual checkout 27
71	71	station per self-service checkout station. 28
72	72	6-61-4. Enforcement. 29
73	73	(a) The consumer protection unit of the department of attorney general ("CPU") shall have 30
74	74	primary authority to enforce the restrictions of this chapter. 31
75	75	(b) The CPU shall enact rules and regulations as necessary to implement this chapter. The 32
76	76	fine for the first and second violations shall be five hundred ($500) dollars. The fine for third and 33
77	77	subsequent violations shall be one thousand ($1,000) dollars. 34
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81	81	(c) Any Rhode Island resident may file a complaint with the CPU alleging a violation, free 1
82	82	from fear of retaliation. 2
83	83	(d) Any employee alleging retaliation by their employer for making a complaint alleging 3
84	84	violations of this chapter may bring a cause of action in Rhode Island superior court. 4
85	85	(e) Any Rhode Island consumer alleging a violation of this chapter may file a complaint 5
86	86	with the CPU. Retaliation against a consumer for complaining about a violation of this chapter shall 6
87	87	be an unlawful trade practice. 7
88	88	6-61-5. Severability. 8
89	89	If any part, section or provision of this chapter is found unconstitutional, illegal or invalid, 9
90	90	such a finding will affect only that part, section or provision of this chapter and the remaining parts, 10
91	91	sections or provisions shall remain in full force and effect. 11
92	92	SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 12
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99	99	EXPLANATION
100	100	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
101	101	OF
102	102	A N A C T
103	103	RELATING TO COMMERCI AL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS --
104	104	GROCERY STORES
105	105	***
106	106	This act would require grocery stores to specifically limit the number of self-service 1
107	107	checkout units to six (6) units per location. The consumer protection unit of the department of 2
108	108	attorney general would have authority to enforce these restrictions. 3
109	109	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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