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6/11/2026
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Assembly approves several housing bills sponsored by Sen. Bissaillon
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STATE HOUSE – In its final days of the 2026 session, the General Assembly approved several bills sponsored by Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee Chairman Jacob E. Bissaillon to address elements of the state’s housing crisis. All are now headed to the governor’s desk.
“There are a multitude of factors creating our housing crisis, demanding a wide range of solutions and responses. In our committee and in the General Assembly, we’ve been working, hard, year after year, to identify barriers to housing and collaboratively develop ways to address them. I’m grateful to the leaders and all my colleagues in the legislature, as well as the many stakeholders and advocates who have helped us identify solutions, and we will continue to work to ensure that all Rhode Islanders can access the safe, affordable, comfortable homes we all need,” said Chairman Bissaillon (D-Dist. 1, Providence).
Today the General Assembly passed Chairman Bissaillion’s bill (2026-S 2912Aaa) amending the Abandoned Properties Act to prevent its abuse and make its provisions clearer.
The legislation is meant to prevent properties that are not abandoned from being taken into receivership. During the bill’s hearing, representatives of RIHousing testified about occasions when several new homeowners with mortgages through RIHousing had their homes included on lists of multiple properties headed toward receivership, despite being occupied and in good condition. Others have reported similar situations and having their locks changed before even being notified that their property had been targeted for receivership.
The act clarifies the act’s definition of “abandonment,” and requires that owners be notified and given the opportunity to respond and correct any blight or code violations before any action is taken to move a property toward receivership.
The bill is supported by the RIHousing, Housing Network of RI, the Executive Office of Housing, the R.I. Association of Realtors, the R.I. League of Cities and Towns and the mayors of Providence, Pawtucket and Woonsocket. Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), who chairs the Housing Affordability Commission in the House, sponsored the bill’s companion (2026-H 8101A).
Chairman Bissaillon also sponsored legislation (2026-S 2674) passed by lawmakers to authorize Providence to place a local question on November’s ballot approving the issuance of up to $25 million in bonds. Proceeds from the bonds would go to the Providence Housing Trust Fund to finance affordable multi-family housing projects in the city.
The bill has the support of the Providence City Council as well as Mayor Brett P. Smiley, who testified before the Senate Finance Committee in support of the legislation, saying the trust fund has financed the development or preservation of more than 1,600 homes in the city in recent years, and needs more funding to continue that effort. Rep. Rebecca Kislak (D-Dist. 4, Providence) sponsored the bill (2026-H 7491) in the House.
Another bill he sponsored and the Assembly passed would protect Rhode Island families from unfairly losing ownership of property they inherit.
The Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act (2026-S 2394) addresses a situation that commonly occurs when a property is inherited by multiple heirs without a formal estate plan. In such situations, any of the individual “tenants in common” can force a partition sale, and some real estate speculators take advantage of that law by acquiring small shares of such properties, filing a partition action and then acquiring the whole property at less than market value, taking the home and depleting the family’s inherited wealth.
The legislation establishes basic due process protections during partition actions, including notice standards, a requirement for an independent appraisal, a right of first refusal for cotenants, and a legal process that must be followed if no cotenants exercise that right and the property is to be sold. The bill stipulates that such sales must take place on the open market and at a commercially reasonable price, not by sealed bids or auction unless a court finds it would be in the best interest of the cotenants to do otherwise. Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett) sponsored the House companion bill (2026-H 7210).
Chairman Bissaillon was also the sponsor of legislation (2026-S 3301)approved by the Assembly to enable cities and towns to allow Supportive and Functional Emergency (SAFE) units, such as the pallet shelters at Providence’s ECHO Village, on a temporary basis during a declaration of an emergency. This legislation, which was sponsored by former House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) in the House (2026-H 8001A), would enable cities and towns to respond quickly in the event of severe weather or disasters.
Another of Chairman Bissaillon’s bills that passed the Assembly touches on issues of housing and support for behavioral health needs. The bill (2026-S 2575A) ensures that recovery residences that provide recovery support services for those people recovering from substance use addiction and that comply with standards established by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences are considered residences, not commercial structures, in zoning ordinances and fire and building codes. Subjecting them to the higher standards of commercial codes make them more difficult and expensive to operate, essentially preventing them from being offered in Rhode Island. Chairwoman Speakman also sponsored the House companion of this bill (2026-H 8040Aaa).
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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