Exempts from taxation the real and tangible personal property of Codac, Inc., a Rhode Island nonprofit domestic corporation, located at 45 Royal Little Drive in Providence, Rhode Island.
S0799 amends Rhode Island’s property tax exemption statute to add Codac, Inc. to the list of specifically exempted properties. Codac is identified as a Rhode Island domestic nonprofit corporation, and the exemption applies to its real and tangible personal property located at 45 Royal Little Drive in Providence. The bill is written as a targeted amendment to the state’s existing property-tax exemption framework rather than a broad policy change.
The measure takes effect upon passage and would remove the specified Codac property from local property taxation, reducing the taxable property base for the City of Providence for that parcel. Because the bill amends the general exemptions statute in chapter 44-3, it becomes part of the state’s list of properties and entities that are exempt from municipal taxation, alongside numerous other nonprofit, charitable, religious, educational, and public-purpose properties.
The overall sentiment reflected in the voting history was strongly favorable. The Senate passed the bill unanimously, 31-0, and the House passed it in concurrence by a wide margin, 53-9. No committee transcripts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to suggest significant opposition or controversy in the available materials.
The main point of contention, to the extent one can be inferred from the bill’s structure, is the use of a special, parcel-specific tax exemption for a single nonprofit organization rather than a general statewide rule. Bills of this kind can raise concerns about piecemeal tax policy, local revenue impacts, and whether similarly situated nonprofits should receive comparable treatment. However, the recorded votes indicate that any such concerns did not prevent passage.
The bill amends § 44-3-3 of the Rhode Island General Laws, which governs property exempt from taxation, by adding Codac, Inc.’s Providence property to the statutory exemption list. As a result, the identified real and tangible personal property at 45 Royal Little Drive would no longer be subject to local property tax, and the City of Providence would lose that parcel’s tax revenue. The bill does not create a new general exemption category; it adds a specific nonprofit property to the existing exemptions framework.
The available voting record shows broad support for the bill. It passed the Senate 31-0 and the House 53-9 in concurrence, suggesting that most legislators viewed the measure as a routine or noncontroversial nonprofit tax exemption. No committee discussion transcripts were provided, so there is no additional evidence of debate, but the recorded votes indicate a generally positive sentiment toward the bill.
The likely substantive issue is that the bill grants a narrow, parcel-specific exemption to one named nonprofit, which can prompt questions about fairness, precedent, and the cumulative effect of special exemptions on municipal tax bases. Opponents of such bills often argue that tax exemptions should be applied through broader standards rather than individualized statutory carve-outs. Even so, the strong vote totals suggest that any concern about special treatment or lost local revenue was limited or outweighed by support for Codac’s nonprofit mission.