H7872

Establishes civil penalties for extended service interruptions by water suppliers. These penalties would be in addition to other available remedies and damages.

Introduced·2/27/26
Introduced Text

Rhode Island H7872 establishes civil penalties for water suppliers that fail to restore service within four hours of an outage.

Rhode Island H7872 amends the General Laws to establish civil penalties for water suppliers that do not restore continuous service to at least 90% of affected customers within four hours after an unplanned outage. The penalty is $250 per customer for each additional hour of delay, up to $5,000 per customer per day. The director of health may adjust or waive the penalty based on hardship or noncompliance beyond the supplier's control. These fines are in addition to other available remedies and damages and will be deposited into the general fund. The act takes effect upon passage.

Included in complete analysis

  • Overview
  • Core Provisions
  • Implementation
  • Impact
  • Legal Framework
  • Critical Issues

See what it does, who it affects, and the critical issues in plain language. Free, 30 seconds.

Where it stands

Current
Corporations Committee
Next
Committee decision

Sponsors

DDD
3
0
Democratic CaucusRepublican Caucus

Calendar

Apr 7

12:00 AM

House Corporations Hearing

History

Apr 7

House

Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Apr 3

House

Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (04/07/2026)

Feb 27

House

Introduced, referred to House Corporations