Bill > S2591

This bill, titled the "Fair Chance in Housing Background Checks Act," aims to regulate how landlords, referred to as "housing providers," use an applicant's criminal history when deciding whether to rent a property. Key provisions include delaying background checks until after a "conditional offer" – an initial offer to rent contingent on further checks – has been made, and restricting the types of criminal records that can be considered to those occurring within the last ten years and involving serious offenses like murder, arson, or certain sexual assaults, while explicitly excluding arrests without convictions, expunged records, and juvenile adjudications. The bill also prohibits discriminatory advertisements that exclude applicants based on criminal history and requires landlords to provide specific reasons if they withdraw a conditional offer due to an applicant's record, informing the applicant of their right to file a complaint with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights. Violations of these provisions can result in significant civil penalties for landlords, escalating from $1,000 for a first offense to $10,000 for subsequent violations, and the act also prohibits retaliation against individuals who exercise their rights under this law.

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