Rhode Island General Laws Title 42. State Affairs and Government § 42-167-10. Rhode Island housing champion designation

(a) The executive office of housing shall develop a Rhode Island housing champion designation program for all qualifying municipalities.  The Rhode Island housing champion designation program shall be voluntary.  Each municipality shall have the option, in its sole discretion, to apply to the executive office of housing to receive the Rhode Island housing champion designation.  In exchange for obtaining the Rhode Island, housing champion designation, a municipality shall receive preferential access to state resources including, but not limited to, discretionary state funds, as available.

(b) The executive office of housing shall adopt rules to establish qualifications and procedures for a municipality to receive the Rhode Island housing champion designation.  The designation procedure shall be based on a scoring system.

(c) Qualifications to receive the Rhode Island housing champion designation shall include:

(d) Qualifications to receive the Rhode Island housing champion designation may also include, but are not limited to, adoption of financial tools that incentivize the development of housing, including adoption of the community revitalization tax relief incentive program and establishment of municipal economic development and revitalization districts.

(e) Municipalities that receive a Rhode Island housing champion designation shall annually report such measures as the executive office of housing may determine including, but not limited to, land use board applications, approvals, and building permits.

(f) A Rhode Island housing champion designation shall be valid for three (3) years from the date such designation is awarded.  A municipality may seek renewal of its Rhode Island housing champion designation for subsequent three-year (3) periods.  The executive office of housing shall include in the criteria for renewal performance metrics including, but not limited to, the qualifications listed in subsection (c) of this section.

(g) Each year the executive office of housing shall develop a report which describes all actions taken related to the operation of the Rhode Island housing champion designation program in the preceding state fiscal year and assesses the overall impact of the Rhode Island housing champion designation program, including an assessment of the additional housing units produced in the state as a result of the program's operation and incentives.  The report required by this section shall be submitted to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate on or before November 1 of each year, beginning in 2026, and upon such submission, the report shall be posted online on the website of the executive office of housing.