Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-2. Right to equal housing opportunities – Civil rights
The right of all individuals in the state to equal housing opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, lawful source of income, military status as a veteran with an honorable discharge or an honorable or general administrative discharge, servicemember in the armed forces, country of ancestral origin, disability, age, familial status, or regardless of the fact that a tenant or applicant or a member of the household is, or has been, or is threatened with being the victim of domestic abuse, or that the tenant or applicant has obtained, or sought, or is seeking, relief from any court in the form of a restraining order for protection from domestic abuse, is hereby recognized as, and declared to be, a civil right. Nothing in this section shall prevent a landlord from proceeding with eviction action against a tenant who fails to comply with § 34-18-24(7).
History of Section.
P.L. 1965, ch. 27, § 1; P.L. 1977, ch. 214, § 1; P.L. 1979, ch. 144, § 3; P.L. 1988, ch. 455, § 1; P.L. 1990, ch. 398, § 1; P.L. 1995, ch. 32, § 2; P.L. 1997, ch. 150, § 8; P.L. 2001, ch. 340, § 2; P.L. 2002, ch. 118, § 2; P.L. 2002, ch. 224, § 2; P.L. 2015, ch. 161, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 180, § 1; P.L. 2021, ch. 3, § 1, effective April 15, 2021; P.L. 2021, ch. 4, § 1, effective April 15, 2021.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-2
- Age: means anyone over the age of eighteen (18). See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Armed forces: means the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, or Air Force of the United States and the Rhode Island National Guard. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Disability: means a disability as defined in § 42-87-1. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- Familial status: means one or more individuals who have not attained the age of eighteen (18) years being domiciled with:
(A) A parent or another person having legal custody of the individual or individuals; or
(B) The designee of the parent or other person having the custody, with the written permission of the parent or other person, provided that, if the individual is not a relative or legal dependent of the designee, that the individual shall have been domiciled with the designee for at least six (6) months. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- gender identity or expression: includes a person's actual or perceived gender, as well as a person's gender identity, gender-related self image, gender-related appearance, or gender-related expression; whether or not that gender identity, gender-related self image, gender-related appearance, or gender-related expression is different from that traditionally associated with the person's sex at birth. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- lawful source of income: means and includes any income, benefit, or subsidy derived from child support; alimony; Social Security; Supplemental Security Income; any other federal, state, or local public assistance program, including, but not limited to, medical or veterans assistance; any federal, state, or local rental assistance or housing subsidy program, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers as authorized by Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- sexual orientation: means having, or being perceived as having, an orientation for heterosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3
- victim: means a family or household member and all other persons contained within the definition of those terms as defined in § 12-29-2. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-37-3